《Red Eyes》 01 - Death Chapter 01 ¨C Death ¡°Damn it¡± I murmured as I was running with all strength left in my legs. Damn everything that brought me up into this situation. Panting heavily, I turned to another road, which was going to take me to Kensington road, I think. You would be laughing your ass off, if you saw a man running as fast as Usain Bolt in navy blue slim fit double-breasted Scabal suit on, with white shirt and brownish goat-skin Testoni shoes at 3 a.m in the morning. Not exact clothing for a morning run, aint it? It was dark all around, most of the streetlights dimmed. But if you were somebody who went out to have a cigarette after waking up from a nightmare, then maybe. Maybe your eyes could detect golden ¡°thing¡± in my right hand. For a moment though. My hands were going up and down so fast that I could sense that it was in my hands but could not see its shape or figure in whole. My hair was up to my shoulder so it was hard to see what was in front of me as I was running. A moment my vision was covered with hair and next one clear as sky. It was dark all around so it didn¡¯t matter much. I just did not have to stop. Turning back few times, I made sure that nobody was following me. Nevertheless, I increased my pace a bit more. Less than hundred meters and I was already on near the park at the end of Pitt street that I was on. I stopped for a moment and looked at road sign that was directly under the streetlight. ¡°Kensington Rd.¡± was written on it. ¡°I have almost made it¡± went through my mind. Under illumination of the streetlight I waited for a few seconds for my eyes to adapt to darkness. I checked out my surroundings and nobody was following me. I almost had a hard stroke when my mobile phone vibrated. It was in left side pocket of trouser, so I slipped my left hand into it to get phone while checking out right and left to take precaution. I took it out and instead of number a name was written on blazing screen of my Vertu. ¡°Juanito¡± was written on it. I pressed green button and took the phone up to my left ear. [Juan]: Is that you? [Me]: Yea, let¡¯s get the fuck out of here. Misinformation bro, it was a trap. I heard engine starting few houses away from me. Just to be sure, I looked at car before running towards it. Front lights turned on, and a bright smile came to my face. I was looking at a brand new 2014 model white Mercedes Benz CLS 6.5 AMG. I began to run while car began to drive towards me. It stopped and I got in through the front left door. [Juan]: What happened? [Me]: Let¡¯s get the hell out of here. I will tell you on the way¡­ Somebody fucked us. Fucked us back in the ass¡­ I¡¯m gonna find that motherfuck and¡­ I was looking at my right hand. Golden Browning pistol that saved my life. God bless it. Without it, I would be dead long ago. It had different designs on it, which gave an aggressive and seductive look to it. I was in love with this toy of mine. I loved it more than Katie. I took out the charger and there was no bullet left. I am one lucky son of a dead bitch. [Juan]: Drink this! I put gun in between my legs and took bottle of water from Juan¡¯s left hand. There was less than half of a bottle of water left but I was damn thirsty and it was right on spot as I glutted down all of cold water that was left in bottle. I turned to face Juan with a big smile. He was laughing too when I felt heavy burden of last 27 years of my life on my body in a moment. Juan was looking at me too, but with a sinister smile on his face. I knew him from moment one for last 10 years of my stay in Melbourne. I had never seen him smiling like that. [Me]: What the? My eyes closed and I drifted away into sleep. I didn¡¯t know whether it was a dream or reminiscence of past. It was all real though. I was inside Omar¡¯s house with Ryu the Japanese, Juanito the Colombian, Me the bloody soviets, Kamal the Indonesian, Joffrey the Ozzy and our host and my best friend Omar the South African. It was in early December of 2004, around two months after death of my father and mother. I was born in Soviet Union. Grew up in 90s when everything was in chaos and people of post-soviet countries lived with jungle rules. I learned to steal very early. Hard times, but sweet times. None of my buddies, including me had enough money to buy ice-creams so we were stealing watermelons from back of Zil trucks and exchanging them to ice-creams. I¡¯m still proud of that because I was the one who came up with the idea and it was the first time I brought people together to make a crew. My crew. My father was not an angel either. I was stealing watermelons while he was stealing tons of metals and chemicals to sell. That was how we got well-off and went to live in a better neighborhood. In October of 2004 my parents died in car crash and left me with 150000 american greenbacks and a house back in my country. Money was enough to cover my university studies, accommodation and other expenses in Australia up to end of my studies so I was not worried about financial problems for a time but was at a loss because of losing them early in my life. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Anyway Ryu, Juanito, Kamal and Omar were smoking pot while Joffrey and I were drinking beer. All of us were 18, from today¡¯s perspective ¨C KIDS. That week Omar called all of us earlier on to get together to watch a movie. It was going to change our lives he had told if I¡¯m not mistaken. ¡°Blow¡± was the name of movie starring Johnnie Depp based on true story. Nice movie, and I recommend it to everyone. At the end, screenshots of real-life counterparts of movie character¡¯s were shown. I can not remember name of the main guy, but when his picture came on Omar screamed at us. ¡°You see the fucker!?¡±. [Omar]: He aint a bad-ass mother fucker like him. He was pointing at me while talking to others. [Omar]: You guys saw how he beat the shit out of those mean looking wogs. A week ago, I did really beat the shit out of lebo¡¯s near a club. They tried to harras my girlfriend, Katie. Bad for them, as I was a black belt judoka. By age 17, I was already 2nd place in European championship. [Omar]: I¡¯m a bad motherfucker myself! [Joffrey]: Fuck me, Omar. Come on, what you wanna say? Don¡¯t talk riddles, most of us are high and rest is drunk. [Omar]: We going to sell pot! [Me]: Good money in it? [Ryu]: Ya man! We don mas. [Me]: What¡¯s he saying? [Omar]: We have calculated everything and there is no dealer in or around our uni. Look around fellas, lots of students living around but no dealer. Juanito is a motherfucking Colombian. He knows all this shit! It was first time in my life when I joined a group where I was acting as an arm rather than head. Back to topic, we were successful. In last 9 years, almost all of us had around 10 million dollars worth of cash. Cold water splashed on my head. I opened my eyes and slowly came to sense. Water was dripping from my head down to my shoulders, chest and spine. I tried to move but my hands were bound together by a rope from behind while my legs were restrained with chains. I was sitting on a stool. Turned my head right and left in fast motion to break my neck as if a professional chiropractic neck adjuster did it. Cracking noises could be heard from a good distance away. [Ryu]: Wazzap, soviets? I could see all of them. My ¡°friends¡± were the ones who were standing in front of me. For a long time I searched for killers of Omar. Most probably these pricks whom I called friends had done him too. [Me]: You guys killed Omar? [Joffrey]: You were too slow to understand bro. [Ryu]: We were told that we could live off well if you and Omar departed¡­ [Me]: Who? Are you guys fucking crazy? We are friends! [Juan]: We were¡­I talked with bikie gangs. Both of you were too bloody in your dealings. People want peace. [Me]: And you believed them? They are going to chop you off into pieces. [Kamal]: They won¡¯t, they promised. [Me]: Fuck me! You dumbfucks! [Joffrey]: We leaving Juanito. You finish him. [Juan]: A¡¯right! They exited through a big door. We were inside a farm. Voices that were coming from behind were of pigs. [Juan]: You see this!? It¡¯s your gun! I will use it to kill you and later on machine will chop you off to pieces and will feed you to pigs. [Me]: Juanito¡­ [Juan]: Shut up you fucking pigshit! I had told you before that you were a pigshit¡­ You will become one¡­ [Me]: WHY?!!! [Juan]: Because¡­Because¡­ Because of Katie. I love her. You are not worthy. She deserves someone better than you. ME!!! MOTHERFUCKER! He moved his face up to me¡­ [Juan]: You hearing me!!! SHE DESERVES ME!!! He turned back and made two steps and without looking at me made the first shot. Bullet went out of pistol and got into my right shoulder. Pain was felt in every single nerve cell that was in my body but I still smiled. Juanito was a pussy. He will be one till the end of his life. He couldn¡¯t even face me. His turned back to check me out but instead got gruesome features on his face as he saw me smiling. I had a big grin on my face. I liked Katie a lot, but I did not love her. I had no sister or brother. My parents were dead. My life was a cemetery. I was long dead. There was nothing or nobody that I loved except the golden Browning pistol. It was in Juanito¡¯s hand aimed at me. His finger pressed onto trigger one more time. Everything was in slow motion. I saw the bullet coming out of gun. Shockwave that occurred as bullet went out of gone was clearly visible in my eyes. Bullet went into my chest. Everything went blank. It must be what they call Death! Next: 02 - Memories 02 - Memories Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* Chapter 02 ¨C Memories Long lost memories of past passed by me as I lost my consciousness. Sweet and painful memories of past that would never come back to me. --- I was 10 or 11 years old when this had happened. I had totally forgotten about it long time ago. Sleeping on my bed, I woke up to a noise. This time though I was observing myself. I could see myself opening my eyes, and red demon standing by door. I still do not know what it was, a demon, an angel or whatever it was. I can remember it now. Disgusting sound of laughing that woke me up. It was as tall as door to my room, its head almost touching top of 3.20 meter tall entrance. Back then I thought it was a demon as it was made of fire. Smokeless fire was blowing out from its body though its arms, legs and body were looking like a human¡¯s body parts. In between of those flames you could see its eyes, nose and mouth made from a darker red color fire in comparison to rest of its body. Its laugh made me nervous. I couldn¡¯t sleep and it was not going anywhere else. Standing and laughing. Few times I pulled blanket to cover my head, and waited for sometime to pass and peeked to check. It had not gone anywhere, creepy sounds of laugh were still coming. I couldn¡¯t stay up for long, sometime later I slept over. Never I spoke of this to anybody else. Why I was seeing this? ----- Another flashback, another long lost memory. It was first year of university. Happy Wednesday¡¯s they called it. University bar was giving discounts on drinks so lots of students were attending Wednesday nights. I went not for cheap drinks but for beautiful chicks. Australia has the most beautiful girls a man could think of. Blondes, brunettes, redheads ¨C blacks, whites, asians... I loved it. Moreover some of local girls had pink cheeks which turned me on greatly. Omar and I were a team. A real team, making moves on girls, thinking about new tactics to approach them. It was like a science to us. I had khaki pants and white short sleeve shirts on. I was using Viktor & Rolf perfume back in those days. It lasted long and was a girl magnet. Chicks loved smell of that perfume. I drank a glass of beer that night. It was early but I told Omar that I¡¯m going to leave. Unibar was placed inside the university but close to main road that took you to CBD. It was called University Rd, if I remember correctly. I walked for a while checking features of iphone 3G which I acquired recently. I turned right to walk another kilometer and half instead of taking bus. Weather was hot, even though it was 10 p.m, but there was a nice breeze that chilled me. After some time, I reached zebras to pass the road to go to university dorms. Standing still, I took out pack of Marlboro gold and lighted a cigarette. I heard the sound of engine revving from a distance; a car was driving at a high speed. Green lights came on for people to pass and I saw a blonde girl taking her first step when I reach out with my right hand and grabbed from her hoodie and pulled her back. She turned her face in anger and was going to say something when car passed by us with high speed. [Me]: It¡¯s not the best way to kill yourself. If you wanna do suicide jump from top of a building, or sit in a room filled with gas. Most important of all, write a paper that nobody has killed you or forced to do it. She had a ¡°what the fuck are you talking about face¡±. [-]: Wha? [Me]: Because of you driver of that car was going to go to prison. I¡¯m telling you its not the best way to commit a suicide! She was in shock and I took my leave with my usual ¡°I do not give a shit attitude¡±. ----- Another flashback where I was entering dorm house where Omar lived. It was his birthday party and I had bottle of Dom P¨¦rignon as a bday gift. Guest room was filled from wall to wall with lots of people. Omar shouted out at me and I went towards him. We hugged and I opened champagne. He got hold of bottle and drank it without waiting for someone to bring a glass. We laughed when blondie from other time came up to us. [-]: You... (I cut her words again) [Me]: What¡¯s up suicide girl? This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.[-]: I was not committing a suicide! [Omar]: Soviets, Have you met Katie? [Me]: I stopped her just before committing a suicide and she seems to be angry at me because of that... [Omar]: Really? [Me]: I don¡¯t lie! [Katie]: You son of a bitch! Stop misinforming people! I told you I was not committing suicide... I looked at Omar and winked. He left us. [Me]: Then you owe me a thank you. For saving your life. [Katie]: Ah.. That makes sense. Why they call you soviets? [Me]: Lemme show you... I grabbed her hand and went through crowd while she followed me. We went into kitchen. Juanito was there filling cups with some kind of crazy Colombian cocktail that he came up with. He saw me with Katie, nodded in greeting and left us alone. I took two cups and filled them both with 42below. It was a kiwi brand but they made really good vodka. Better than Smirnoff at least. There was almost 250 ml of vodka in each cup. [Me]: You up to it? [Katie]: That¡¯s too much! I smiled, took cup of vodka and drank it in one go. I seized a slice of lemon afterwards and ate it to overcome vodka¡¯s chill. [Me]: That¡¯s how you do it! Now will you? She hesitated for a moment but took the cup into her hands. [Me]: Trick is not to smell it. Remember do not smell the vodka or you won¡¯t be able to finish it in one go. I told that because I knew she is going to smell it if I told her. Her arm went up and side of glass cup was in her mouth... After two gulps, she couldn¡¯t continue. Releasing her arm back, she put the glass on kitchen table. Drops of vodka were flowing from her lips to her chin. I gave her slice of lemon and she ate it... [Katie]: Now what? She was smaller than me in height. Maybe 10 centimeters. Maybe less. She was attractive though. Long blonde hair was flowing from her head down to busts. Whitish tanned skin was calling out to me. I looked at her eyes. Vodka would be doing its job by now. I brought up my right arm and she grabbed my right hand with her left. I pulled her to me, while grabbing her ass with my left hand. I could feel her breathing heavily. We kissed. Kiss of my life, which I would never forget... ----- Omar, Kamal, Ryu and yours truly were coming back from some beach party at St. Kilda when few lebanese wannabe gangster kids demanded some money from us. They were not exactly kids but still younger than 25 on average. There were 4 or 5 of them. All of them had well-build bodies, most probably because of pumping iron in gym and proteins. Thanks to my judo skills and Omar¡¯s boxing skills we screwed them big time. Omar was not a pro fighter but knew few moves and outdid one of them. However I made sure that rest of them never attack anybody else. One of them had a dislocated shoulder by end of fight. The other one unsuccessfully tried to punch me when I grabbed his arm and overthrew him around to fall back on his spine. Not losing another second, I run on him grabbed his head and punched him on top of his head by using my arm lock. Blood began to fall off and they were scared shitless... I was never inclined towards violence but if someone attacked me, last thing to expect from me was mercy. After Ukrainian revolution when Klitschko got into parliament he was asked a question by a reporter. ¡°Mr. Klitschko there are fights happening in parliament and you are staying away from all of them, why?¡±. His reply was golden... ¡°Because on average I get around 10mil dollars per fight and again on average I punch around 100 times per battle. In parliament, for every punch I make, is there going to be anybody who will pay me 100000 dollars?¡±. That was my motto from then on, but I didn¡¯t overlive... I saw few more flashbacks that had happened in my life. It was all in front of my eyes as if my life was a movie and I was watching it in fast-forward in a movie theater. Memories of the past. Sweet or painful did not matter. They were all that I had. Another bullet pierced me and my body stopped to function. I died. Believe me death is not a scary thing. It is not painful either. It happens in an instance where you do not feel that it had happened. At long last I was feeling at peace by welcome death upon myself. Next: 03 - Rebirth 03 - Rebirth 03 ¨C Rebirth Pitch black darkness welcomed me into the pit of nothingness. For a moment, I thought there will be judgement upon me in some classy holy court headed by angels and I will be thrown to hell as I was qualified to it according to every holy book. Body parts such as legs, arms or head, I felt none. I could see but what is there to see in darkness? I wondered if I or my soul dwelled physically in plane of existence where I was residing. Descartes wrote in Principles of Philosophy about cogito ergo sum which in translation meant ¡°I am thinking, therefore I exist¡±. So I assumed I exist too, but where and why were questions of importance to me. ¡°Time did not apply to this dimension either¡± passed through my mind. [-]: No it does not. If I have not gone crazy yet, someone answered to my question. I was not thinking out loud but... [-]: But I can hear you! [Me]: Who are you? [-]: I was there when you were born. I was there when you were stealing watermelons. I was there when you were driving Maserati with 300km/h speed. I was there when you were banging Katie. I was there when you were killed. At one point I materialised in front you. Don¡¯t you remember? [Me]: Are you the one with body of flames. [-]: Yes, I am. Remember me, so I can show myself to you before it is too late. I concentrated a lot. Eyes and mouth of dark flames, rest of body consisting of usual fire ¨C a monster of my childhood appeared in front of me. It was laughing. Flames of his body were acting as sun would in pitch black universe radiating everything around it. I could feel myself taking bodily form again. I moved my arms to front of myself and could see them as the monster in front of me was source of light. [-]: Darkness is essential, but without light there is no life. [Me]: I had my share of philosophy, so lets cut it down. Who are you? [-]: I am me. [Me]: You literally enlightened me a lot. [-]: I have been called many names. Satan, Shaitan, Devil, Lucifer... many more. [Me]: What do you want from me? [Devil]: We could have talked alot before you asked that question. That¡¯s why I have chosen you! You are always to the point. [Me]: What do you want from me? [Devil]: I want you to live and me to die! [Me]: Sweettalking me? why do you think I would want to live? [Devil]: Do you want to be stuck in this place forever and ever? At some point you will go crazy and it will not take long for you to be part of this nothingness without any self-awareness left. This is hell my friend. No torture, no flames to burn. The worst punishment though, you lose the most important thing that you were given when you were created and send to some world to be born. Your existence! [Me]: How are we going to do it? [Devil]: We will make a contract. You and me! I will lose my powers and you will have your affiliation with fire. I¡¯m going to become a normal soul and stuck in this place for some time becoming part of nothingness. You will have a second chance to live and earn your place in heaven or maybe hell. [Me]: Sounds sweet! What is in for you? [Devil]: It¡¯s a prank. I am pranking God! [Me]: Why me? [Devil]: Nobody could remember me... None. Everyone forgot about me as a childhood memory. But not you! It took an eternity to find someone like you! [Me]: I can¡¯t understand the prank part? [Devil]: It¡¯s between the God and me... It does not concern you. [Me]: Ok, I want to be born in 60s... You know ¨C drugs, sex and rock&roll. [Devil]: No, it ain¡¯t going to be like that. [Me]: How is it going to happen then? Flames disappeared; only dark red flames consisting of two very sinister eyes were left. Balls of light in different colours appeared all around. Devil spoke again, but this time same words echoed from everywhere. ¡°Choose¡± voice said in a very familiar and sweet tone. There was almost infinite number of lights of balls. One by one they were getting closer to me and straying away. There was one of them, which radiated in blue. I did not believe in anything until I reached this place so I made my most important choice in an irrational manner. Floating towards that source of lights, I moved my hand to grab it. Touching it was impossible to me, as I saw my hand was not composed of anything material. In an instant I saw some parts of my hands, unexplainable to me were deconstructed from it and moved into the blue light ball. I felt peace and joy. Second instant, I was sucked into the blue light ball faster than speed of light. Warm surrounding, where I was transferred, felt different in comparison to dull dark environment where I resided just before. It did not take long before I was born, or should I say reborn. I cannot elaborate on process of birth, as I did not observed process but was part of it. As soon as I was born, automatically I began to cry while oxygen for the first time got into my lungs. My body was cleant of fluids and I was put onto arms of my mother. As a newly reborn person I have to point out that I could hear perfectly but my vision was blurry. All I understood from my birth is that I was born in a barnhouse. I could hear voices of goats and sheep, which were so high that I could not determine what humans were talking about. For a week my mother helped me out to find her teats to suck on. My father was coming into room to check upon her and my health every once in a while. Being newly born most of time I slept. As time passed my vision became clearer. My mother¡¯s name was Leila, while my father was called Oscar. He was around 165cm¡¯s tall with a muscular built. Mother was as tall as my father. Language used in between them was English with an accent similar to Scottish. Skin color of my parents was dark brownish with black hair and both of them had hazel eyes. Their faces were not attractive but not ugly either. My father liked to tease my mother by throwing me up and catching again. She was getting angry every time he acted so. I felt brutish hands of his when he took me into his arms and touched with his fingers onto my face. I was rolling on my cradle right and left when I was left alone. Leila sang beautiful lullabies at nights, which I enjoyed a lot. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. They never talked about work or money when they were inside our house. By now, I understood that our house consists of only one room. Their bed, my cradle, a table and two stools, few clothes for each of them were all our belongings. Door was made out of wood; same with window but there were metal protectors on window. At nights oil lamp was used to light the room. Oscar and Leila¡¯s marriage was because of love. They never kissed or made love when I was awake but I could see them looking at each other with passionate eyes. I was named Kain after Leila¡¯s grandfather; I knew Oscar was not approving my name and tried to protest once but was buffed back by Leila¡¯s argument that if their kid was born as girl he was meant to name her. Damien¡¯s POV 3 months after my birth. I entered underground Temple of Lehman by going into cave that was hidden behind waterfall. High-priest Qaffar and I were the only followers of Lehman left in this world. Our sect was massacred and killed mercilessly all around world few centuries ago. Survivors had built this temple and promised to wait upon arrival of the chosen one to help him in worldly matters. High-priest Qaffar was of age and for some time I thought he was a lunatic until 6 months ago when I saw with my eyes the miracle that had happened. ¡°Time is upon us,¡± he told me mid-day when sun was still shining brightly. We entered through hidden passage to vast temple. I had torch in my hand as usual. Grand hall was big and we couldn¡¯t clean it properly. It was dusty in corners, which was result of centuries of dirt and dust brought together. There were spider webs, which were few meters long and wattled between two pillars. I do not know why I joined Temple of Lehman. Church was not aware of our existence anymore but in case we came into light, no questions asked we would be beheaded. At the end of temple there was a massive square rock on which a katana was place. On hilt of katana red stone was place. I had asked High-priest Qaffar if this stone was ruby or onyx ¨C he had evaded answering to my question every time. ¡°It¡¯s for chosen one¡±, ¡°it is expensive than gold useless than copper¡± were his usual answers. High-priest was on his knees praying silently while I was standing besides him when an unnaturally high pitched wind turned off fire on torch that I was holding. It happened exactly 6 months ago. I heard Qaffar bawling in tears. ¡°Lehman has heard us! He is coming!¡± he said. There are 16 pillars in grand hall. 8 of them on right, another 8 on left side. Torches that were on each of them, burned up filled with flames. Qaffaq turned to me and said ¡°I have another 6 months to live, ye shall go north to find the chosen one and bring me news of him so that I can die in peace¡±. I told him not to worry, but I could see disbelief in his eyes regarding me. I joined them because I was going to die otherwise. Qaffar was left with a man like me who did not believe but had to follow out of pity to this old man. ¡°If you do not believe, then open your eyes and look around¡± he told me. I turned to see, centuries of dust and dirt cleaned out of temple. It was like a brand new temple that was built a day or two ago. I took my leave and went to exact village, which high-priest Qaffar predicted chosen one to be born. It took me two months to travel to there. I stayed for another 6 weeks before I left. Chosen one was meant to be born two weeks before my departure. 3 male kids were born that exact day but none of them had the feature which was to differentiate the chosen one from others. ¡°Red eyes shall be chosen one¡¯s eye colors¡± Qaffar had told me. ¡°High-priest none with those features was born¡± I murmured. He looked at me, and told me his last wishes. ¡°Ye shall leave this temple to live in village of Karst which is close to temple until the day chosen one comes for his weapon and ye shall be tell him about Lehman¡±. I looked at him and he shouted ¡°Leave in peace and let this old man to die praying to Lehman for companionship on next life¡± Kain¡¯s POV Thirty nights had passed after my birth. Leila¡¯s was putting me on their bed before going with Oscar to work. I could crawl and most of time I was crawling on bed though I was afraid to get down from it as I could break my leg, arm or both. It was before sunset when Leila left after feeding me. Smoke was filling our room by coming in from under wooden door. I crawled to see what was happening but by time I reach end of bed bottom part of door was already on fire. Window was closed and locked from inside too. It didn¡¯t take long before everything was in fire. Crackling noises were surrounding me, but I felt no threat from fire. My cradle was burning, actually everything was burning and fire had reached bed on which I was sitting and observing everything. I could not do anything but I remembered Devil¡¯s words so didn¡¯t panic at all. My clothes got fire on them but I felt no heat and my body did not get any burns on it. I crawled to end of bed and let myself to drop down to ground. Everything was burning including me. I got closer to door and touch it with my hands. Bottom part of door turned into dust and I squeezed myself out to other side. It was first time for me to reach out of our house, which in reality it seemed it was a room in hall. I turned my face to right from where I saw fire originating and decided to go to left. I crawled for few minutes when I hear voices scream. I was near entrance when I saw Leila¡¯s sitting on her legs and screaming wildly while few women touching her shoulders while around 5-6 men keeping my father from entering into our place. I crawled out to, to see sunset for first time in my life. ¡°Kain¡± screamed Oscar. ¡°It¡¯s Kain¡± he screamed again. Leila turned her head to see me. She got up and run towards me. By now, I was bare. All of clothes on me were burnt down. Leila run and grabbed me. Another woman came with her. She whispered ¡°Red eyes¡±. I closed my eyes and opened again. Leila look at her and said ¡°What?¡±. Looking at me, she brought her face close to me and kiss on my cheek. Next: 04 - Essentials of Magic 04 - Essentials of Magic Rate, Review & Comment ***************** 04 ¨C Essentials of Magic Oscar took me into his arms and kissed me, screaming, ¡°That¡¯s my son¡±. ¡°Give me back to lovely arms of my mother, you brutish bastard¡±, I wanted to scream but did not as another sinister plan came to my mind. Oscar raised his arms up to sky holding me and blabbering about my feat to others when firstly few drops, later on stream of piss came out of my pee-pee directly to his face. I smiled and moved my arms in Leila¡¯s direction, everyone was laughing at my father and he blushed which showed his embarrassment. Oscar gave me back to Leila. Everybody scattered to make way for a person who jumped off a beautiful black horse. ¡°My lord¡±, people referred and bowed in respect. A man around 180cm tall wearing dark brown leather boots, black pants, white shirts and black leather robe walked past to burning house. He raised his right arm and murmured something in low voice. Clouds began to swirl around on top of burning house and their clouds began to change from white to dark. It did not take even a minute when hard rain began to pour onto burning house. Fire was extinguished momentarily. ¡°Dad is greatest mage!¡± shouted male kid of 4 or 5 years old who was hiding behind person unknown to me until fire went out. [-]: Anthony what happened? A bold man in his late sixties spoke out to answer. [Anthony]: My wife had forgotten meal on fire in kitchen, my lord. [-]: Any casualties? [Anthony]: No my lord, unfortunately we cannot accommodate workers in here anymore. [-]: It¡¯s all right; I was planning to move you all close to mansion anyway. [Anthony]: Thank you for your generosity, my lord. [-]: Daddy¡­ Daddy¡­ Why that kid¡¯s eyes are glowing in red? Everyone¡¯s attention turned towards me, all of them focusing on my eyes. Man focused on me. He made few steps to close distance¡­ [-]: Leila is that your newborn? [Leila]: Yes, my lord. [-]: Do you or Oscar come from some mage¡¯s lineage? [Leila]: No my lord. [Oscar]: No, my lord. We have been peasants of your family as everyone else in this village has been for all of history known to us. Lord Cohen is there something wrong with my son? [Lord Cohen]: I feel mana affiliated with fire in him. It is reacting to water magic that I used earlier. Why it reflects to his eyes, I do not know. [Oscar]: My lord, is my son gifted with magic? [Lord Cohen]: You should feel proud Oscar. If he can cast magic and excel in swordplay in future, I will knight him and he can serve our house not as a peasant but as a respectable man. I did not like tone of this Lord Cohen¡¯s. Although existence of magic in this world excited me. I may have not a bright past, but I have excelled in my studies with A and B+¡¯s in university, graduating with a diploma in bachelors of economics. In my free time, I had read works of Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, RR Martin, Sanderson and so on. ¡°I have to get my hands on some books regarding magic, as soon as possible¡± was first thing that occurred to me. I am a realist and practical man, so I put those ideas to side for future and opened my mouth to say ¡°Ma¡±, ¡°Ma-Ma¡± which earned me warm hug from Leila. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It was my first time outside. There were 16 people who served Cohen family including my parents. I still did not know who they were or who has given them noble status but they were ruling their territories from mansion that was build on top of a hill. Our old house was located almost quarter a kilometer away from mansion. After fire, all of us were moved to new house that was located at backside of mansion facing lake named Sapphire Depths. Lake was filled with forests all around it. Anthony was acting as manager over servants of house. Oscar was professional mason who looked after building and renovating of old or new rooms in and around mansion, while my mother was responsible for cows and chicken. It took me 10 months to learn about all this as I began to walk around that time and my speech began to be understandable to everyone. I was roaming around to gather information regarding our whereabouts and who we were. I never went away from mansion, because I was afraid to be lost or stolen away as this world was not similar to old one. Nobody was given wages for their work but fed and clothed only. Lord Cohen and his family acted as if they owned not just lands but people who were living on them too. Never I heard any of servants questioning their rights even when some of them were sent away. Anthony was proud of being responsible for everything. Only one servant lasted for long to administer everyone, others were sent back to village since their work was not efficient as old age took strength from their bodies. Few thousand houses could be seen up from hill on Bareton village, built on lands owned Cohen family. I knew that they were rulers of some region, but nobody was educated enough to tell me who has given them right to rule or how far their rule reached. ¡°Great-great-great-great-grandfather of Lord Cohen was bestowed with title and lands to rule over by king long ago¡± was what Anthony had answered to me when he was drunk to know his right from left. That is why I was more inclined to find truth by myself rather than believing to what others say. I was two years old. Winter was harsh and snow was falling from sky not stopping for last month and half when I was ordered to bring wood to inside Cohen¡¯s mansion. I was not strong enough to carry lots but most of workforce was used to clean snow from front yard of mansion, which was from entrance door down to hillside. I was carrying two pieces of wood each time to a different room. Throwing them into fire in each room, I exited to hall to reach to back door. It took me hours and hours of walking to put enough stock of firewood in each and every room on first floor until I got into library. Library did not store many books. One of walls was fully covered in a map that showed some lands and sea. I could not read top part of it, so I passed by it to check out books. ¡°Phantoms and Guardians¡±, ¡°Escaping the Eternals¡±, ¡°Ruins of New Order¡±, ¡°Essentials of Magic¡±, ¡°Faith of East¡± were few titles I read before going out to get more wood. Second time I entered library I put down wood near stockpile place and moved hastily towards location of book - ¡°Essentials of Magic¡±. I grabbed it and pulled out from bookshelf. Opened cover of book and read title out loudly from first page ¡°Essentials of¡­ [-]: ..Magic¡± Next: 05 - Promise 05 - Promise Rate, Review & Comment! I''m still developing characters and I promise you lots of enjoyable, rich and different characters, that will fill world "Kain" had fallen into, with their passions, dreams and purposes... This is another short chapter like last one, but I will do my best to go up to 10000 characters for next chapter and so on in future... ************** 05 ¨C Promise Riley Cohen¡¯s POV As usual, I was sitting on my armchair in library at corner where I was almost invisible with no light shining on me. On my right side were shelves filled with books. Door was placed after them. On my left, blood red curtains were covering most of gigantic windows. Lights coming from in between two curtains were illuminating map that was placed on wall parallel to windows. Fourth wall had bookshelves built in front of it too. I was discussing family matters with Farrell, my only son and heir, when maid disturbed us with news of fire happening in servants living quarter. He went to see it for himself and solve out the problem. Naive son, he was. I am solely responsible for his wrong upbringing. Mistake from my side was made when I let him marry youngest daughter of House of Byron¡¯s. He had told me ¡°it is love, father¡± but I should have known that there is nothing more important than survival of family. Not even love. Everything shall and must be sacrificed for family. Farrell Cohen entered library, after knocking door for three times consecutively. He entered without second thought. Normally, he would have waited for me to allow him into room but not anymore. After my heart attack 3 years ago, he had told me ¡°you are too old to rule, father¡±. I knew person responsible for poisoning me. I knew person responsible for whispers to his ears that ¡®poisoned¡¯ his mind too. For future of family, I stepped back though I shall not stay away. I¡¯m Riley Cohen who has continued legacy of Cohen family and I shall make Farrell to follow it until his last breathe. ¡°Father you still manipulate puppets of yours behind scenes. I thought I rule this house, not you¡± in low voice he talked to me. ¡°You shall rule after my death, as it has always been in our family¡± was my answer. I could see nervousness and indecisivity in his eyes. ¡°Time is ripe, Nasreen¡¯s family shall back me up too¡± he said waiting for my approval. ¡°Byrons shall support me, and her relatives from mother side - Catalon family shall assist me too¡± he added while I stayed silent. ¡°Farrell, do you know first thing that a person shall do to you if you put him at your back as rear guard?¡± I asked without waiting. ¡°What can he do?¡± he questioned me. ¡°He shall put down his pants, take out his dick and fuck you up in the ass without using any oil at all to ease pain you shall feel from being buttfucked. Do not forget, allies stay side-by-side...¡± I told him in anger. It was first time ever I was cursing in front of him. He was shocked to see me use words of low standing in my speech. ¡°Tell me Farrell, why our vaults are filled with gold? Why our stocks of meat, corn, rice and other edible resources are more than any in this damned continent? Why?¡± ¨C I tried to investigate his mouth to know what was going through his mind. ¡°Because we have been better rulers for millennia than anybody else! I am planning to take us one more step up to sit on throne¡± murmured he in disbelief to everything that he was blabbering. ¡°Are you a better warrior than Ernis ¡®Berserker¡¯ Cohen?¡±, ¡°No, father!¡±...¡±Are you a better mage than Normann ¡®The Lightening¡¯ Cohen?¡±, ¡°No, father!¡±...¡±Are you better with words than Neal ¡®Shadow¡¯ Cohen?¡±, ¡°No, father!¡±. ¡°You are inferior to all of them. I am below par too. But I am no fool!¡± I raised my tone again. ¡°I am no fool to take my family into destruction by following my wife¡¯s whispers to my ears at nights...¡± I waited for his reaction. ¡°Secret to longevity of our family is that we have our eyes everywhere but not on king¡¯s seat. That seat is cursed. If you disagree, then read history of our continent. At least once a century ruling family changes and new one destroys even infants of old one...Sometimes two or three times a century. Everywhere is in ruins or trying to develop while we are always at pinnacle.¡± I waited for few minutes for him to grasp what I wanted to tell him. ¡°Bring my grandson Kyle to me. I do not know how long I have left in this world. Maybe ten years, maybe twenty, maybe a day or maybe less. I shall instruct him while I am alive.¡±. ¡°Yes, my Lord¡± he nodded in agreement. ¡°What was reason for fire?¡±, ¡°Nothing important, ineptitude of Anthony¡¯s wife.¡±... ¡°Anything important?¡± my eyes met Farrell¡¯s. ¡°Yes, father. There was a kid. A month old maybe. His eyes had changed to red when I cast water magic¡± he replied. I put my index right finger on my lips and support my chin with thumb. ¡°Red eyes¡±, I whispered. ¡°Leave me, Farrell. If you don¡¯t want to be hanged from your balls instead of your head, do not act without consulting me!¡±. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Nasreen seemed so naive and vulnerable when she first joined our family. How should I know that she was a ¡®snake¡¯ in human form. She was an obedient one and blessed my with two granddaughters. Five years ago when she mothered Kyle, everything changed as if she no more old Nasreed who I knew. Three years ago she poisoned me, luckily holy magic empowered me that was cast same morning by priest sent by Holy Church to our house to serve and I survived with just heart attack. It has been three years that I have gone ¡®underground¡¯, creating image of an old man who is not interested in worldly matters anymore. My eyes swayed left at the motion of bookshelf moving to open a secret passage. Councillor Kalmar emerged from darkness. ¡°Close curtains so we shall talk about details...¡± Kyle outsmarted Farrell by a long shot. He learned a lot from me and applied his knowledge into practice with great mastery. I hope he will not be swayed to Nasreen¡¯s side. Blood of Cohen family flows in his veins, so he must not sway. As he reaches 12 years of age, I shall send him to Monarch Academy to master swordsmanship, magic or science. He shall be man of knowledge and studying there shall weaken his relationship with his mother. It has been two years since I started showing him way of Cohen¡¯s. I was pleased with his accomplishments. ¡°Time shall show!¡± passed my mind. ¡°It¡¯s too cold this winter¡± I murmured. A small kid with two firewood on his arms entered library panting heavily. He looked to his left but did not see me as I was protected by shadows and bookshelves on my right. Peeking at map, he moved to fire and threw wood in it. Later on he looked at books, pretending to read their titles. ¡°Typical peasant¡± popped up in my mind. He exited library and came again with another two firewood on his arms. Adding them to stock, he moved to face bookshelf. With utmost silence, I moved close to him. He was so immersed at sight of books that my existence was not known to him. He grabbed a book, and I waited to see what he was going to do with that massive book. Turning cover, he read the title: ¡°Essentials of...¡± ¡°Magic¡± I spoke in utmost disbelief. Kain¡¯s POV I was shocked to see old man behind me, as I turned back to face him. His hair was almost all white, with some black hair popping up here and there. Slim nose and mouth with wrinkles on his forehead and besides his deep blue eyes made him look like a person of deep understanding of life. [-]: Who are you? [Me]: I am me, who are you? [-]: I am Riley Cohen, head of Cohen family who have ruled domain of Cohen¡¯s for 30 years. I¡¯m father to Farrell and grandfather to Kyle Cohen who are my rightful heirs. Who are you and how old are you? [Me]: I¡¯m Kain, and two years old. My parents are Oscar and Leila. I¡¯m sorry for disturbing your leisure my lord. If you will excuse me, I shall leave. [Riley]: Put that book back to its place, take that small stool and come after me. He sat on armchair in between curtains and bookshelf. ¡°Damn me, I had to be careful¡± went through my mind. It was late, but I can outmaneuver him, I may have never seen him before, but word was that Riley Cohen was not sane anymore. I placed stool in front of window where sunlight shine on me. [Riley]: Who taught you how to read? [Me]: Kyle my lord. [Riley]: He is barely able to read. Don¡¯t lie to me. [Me]: I talk nothing but truth my lord. He showed me how to read and write letters though in my free time I began to draw them on sand to practice my reading. [Riley]: Red eyes... He murmured... [Riley]: Kain would you like to live working as a peasant in this house for the rest of your life? Or would you like to study books in this library and have privilege to go to Monarch Academy to be a proper mage? [Me]: Second one, of course. My Lord, shall I know price for that choice? [Riley]: A contract, between you and me. After I shall pass away between you and Farrell. After he shall pass away after you and Kyle. [Me]: What kind of contract my lord? [Riley]: To serve us as long as we exist. [Me]: I will honor that contract, my lord. ¡°I would not need to if you do not exist¡± were words inscribed in my eyes. If Riley could see through me or could read my mind, he would have killed me here and now. I shall raise again! Not for myself, but for Oscar and Leila¡¯s sake. Especially for Leila! Next: 06 - Changes 06 - Changes Rate, Review & Comment! ***************** 06 - Changes ¡°Universe is filled with force called mana. It is source of metaphysical energy that binds smallest parts of creation together. It can be in people, animals, monsters, plants and sometimes even in objects. Manipulation of this force is referred as magic ¨C writes in this book¡± I told to Riley Cohen. ¡°Yes, but there is no way to increase or decrease that amount of mana in any given living being or object...¡± he continued ¡°when you are born, it is set to some amount unexplainable by science or religion as why it is vast in some, almost none in others and how it determines or chooses which humans it shall grant the power.¡± ¡°How spells come into equation?¡± I questioned Riley. ¡°You chant to give physical form to metaphysical mana. In sense you give life to it¡±. ¡°So if amount of mana is static, then I can chant unlimited spells, can¡¯t I?¡± I added. ¡°Theoretically, yes that¡¯s possible. Although in reality, human body has its physical limits so most of mages strengthen their body and minds to be able to maximize their potential¡± he argued. ¡°Exhaustion?¡± I replied to him. ¡°Sometimes even instant death...Back in my time there was a student in Monarch Academy who had tried to create an artificial lake with magic and had died in doing so. She had vast amount of mana affiliated with water element, but her body and mind were not ready to comprehend magic of that size which brought madness and exhaustion to her after she chanted spell...¡± Riley got lost in thought as if everything was happening in front of his eyes right now, right here. ¡°What happened to her?¡± I pushed another question. ¡°Her flesh dissolved in front of us as soon as she chanted the spell. Only bones were left moments after the incident. She was mummified by magic.¡± ¡°Where is Monarch Academy located?¡± I inquired. ¡°In Astoria. It¡¯s capital city of our kingdom. Most renowned mages, warriors and scientists of our kingdom are employee¡¯s of Monarch Academy¡±. My first day as Riley Cohen¡¯s scribe was constructive from my perspective. Maids were bringing tea and biscuits once in a while to keep us refreshed while we chatted. Sometimes I exited room when people who I did not know came into library through secret passage behind bookshelf. Oscar and Leila were filled with joy after hearing my appointment as Riley Cohen¡¯s scribe. Anthony felt jealous and blabbered about Riley¡¯s sanity. ¡°Is this how you repay your master, by backtalking?¡± was what I told to him that finished mindless talks regarding Riley Cohen¡¯s well-being for once and all. Kyle joined Riley daily for his home tutoring. I never was directly involved when Kyle was around. However Riley questioned me about what he had taught to Kyle after he left. Days passed fast, months and years seemed as minutes. I was following in Riley¡¯s steps successfully. I learned to never ask useless questions when people of important positions were around. I knew knights and mages under House of Cohen by name and rank. Kyle was 12 and I turned 7 when Farrel Cohen took him to Astoria to apply to Monarch Academy. It was first time after many years, when Riley left mansion to walk near shore of Sapphire Depths. As his scribe, I was following by his side. He stood still and looked at lake. ¡°Give me two rocks¡± he ordered. I took two small stones and gave it to him. In all likelihood, reminiscing his childhood Riley threw first stone at surface of lake. Old age was showing its signs, as it was hard for him to accomplish feats that he could when he was young. On first touch stone drowned in water. ¡°Shall we talk about your future?¡± he said and threw second stone without waiting for my answer. ¡°You are a special one¡± he looked at lake avoiding facing me. ¡°I may not have told you, but there are less than handful number of people who can use fire magic properly¡± he stopped again. ¡°Being affiliated with fire element was a factor in selecting you. But do you know why I have chosen you at such a young age?¡± I kept my silence. ¡°You are too intelligent for your age¡±. He bended down, index finger of his right hand pointing at me. ¡°Intelligent kid who is aware that well-being of his parents depends on how he will serve his masters in future.¡± He waited for another moment and continued ¡°Kain, do you know best dogs are ones who are raised diligently from their moment of birth?¡±. ¡°Thank you for enlightening me, my lord¡± was my reply. I did respect him until that moment. I may have served him and his family until last drop of my blood. Seeing him threatening me brought another idea to my mind. ¡°I shall carve out eyes of your son and grandson in front of you¡± I decided. On our way back to mansion, we talked about map that was placed on wall of library. ¡°Visualize the map¡± Riley told me. ¡°Tell me, what I have explained to you until now!¡± ¡°We live in continent of Pyrrhus. It derives its name from idiom ¡®red-colored¡¯. In old language, Pyr meant fire. House of Cohen¡¯s coat of arms is an Oak Tree. Our house has most productive lands out of 7 house¡¯s which combined together make Kingdom of Forbes. House of Forbes originates from lands to our north-west, bordering mountains of south, The Molten Peak zone to west and House of Catalon¡¯s to north. Coat of arms of House of Catallon is a monarch butterly with 5 colours embedden on it. It signifies 4 main elements of nature and on top a green circle is made referring to life itself. House of Byron has raging red bull as its coat of arms. They own lands which are the least productive out of 7 houses. More than half of their lands are covered in deserts and inland sea. Astoria is located at total opposite to us, on south-west of continent. Queen Evelyn Forbes rules kingdom from Palace of Queens and Kings in Astoria.¡± I halted to take deep breathe as we were walking uphill and continued. ¡°Cohen family believes in peace more than war. It is the only family with long history of its own without almost any wars or battles within its territory. Cohen¡¯s have biggest and most powerful professional army in continent¡±. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Good on you. Have I ever told you who resides in lands to west of Adamantine Mountains?¡± He cut my speech to ask. ¡°No, my lord¡± I replied. ¡°People of Nekyia. They are neither dead nor alive. They have neither bones nor muscles but still live and think as we do. Ambassador of Nekyia people is always in royal palace in Astoria. One day, if we ever go to Palace of Queens and Kings, remind me to show IT to you.¡± We reached backside entrance of mansion. We rested for some time by sitting on bench for Riley to catch his breathe. ¡°Starting tomorrow you will begin your swordsmanship training with sir Destrian. He is same age as me, and I have personally knighted him long time ago. I am in need of his service by my side for some time. Train and learn fast because in some time you will depart with him to hunt monsters. You are free for today young Kain.¡± he stood up and turned back at me to tell ¡°Do not disappoint me!¡± He left me alone. Facing beautiful view of Sapphire Depths surrounded by forest, I began to make plans of my own. Lovely Leila and Oscar are going to be kept as hostages by Cohen family though I had to find a way to make sure that no harm comes to them. I was in tricky situation. Knowing that I have magical abilities affiliated with fire was not helping me out because I was powerless as of now. Even if I excelled in swordsmanship, noone would follow 7 year old kid with no lineage. I sighed. ¡°I have nothing but time.¡± Damien¡¯s POV It¡¯s been more than 5 years that I have left Temple of Lehman not to return. High-priest Qaffar had urged me to go to village Howe where kid with red eyes was meant to be born. Dreams of an old man I thought to myself as soon as I reached out from underground temple. ¡°How shall he know where I go, if he is not by my side?¡±. I had vowed to serve Lehman until last breathe comes out of my lungs. I remember that day as clear as sky which is above me right now. ¡°Lehman forgive me thou your son has strayed¡± I told. Walking into forest, I found path that would take me to Metropolis. City of lust, desire and aphrodisia. My mother¡¯s job description was ¡°the first profession ever¡±. A street whore she was. She had told me prostitution is oldest profession on earth. I disagree now though I can¡¯t tell my speculation about oldest profession, because she is no more in realm of living. Sometimes she had told me that I¡¯m bastard son of some noble, sometimes I was long dead pirate¡¯s only living child and sometimes she had found me on street corner. Did I care about it? Fuck no. I preferred to tell people that my father was a gambler and he lost big at his last game. I was sold to slavery to cover his debt and he was killed on spot. I was freed after I saved beautiful daughter of noble man from death. Anyhow. I had more than 20 gold, around 50 silver and few copper coins on me. I knew my destination. I had will and courage to go to Metropolis. So the question arises ¡°How the fuck did I end up in Molten Peak?¡± Wine is having its effect on me, so it is a bit hard to remember. But if I¡¯m not mistaken it was not even after half an hour walk that I heard sounds of drums. Slow beats, and humans singing. ¡°Am I going crazy¡± was first thing that passed my mind as my right and left were filled with trees. I stood still and sounds were closing on me. Out of nowhere around 20 man emerged. Few of them had drums at their hands, beating to make the rhyme. Rest were jumping up and down, singing some song. None of them had any weapons on them, which I assured me that they may not cause harm to me. Looking closely they were barefoot with no shoes on their feet. Cloths that they wore may have been in white color upon wearing it for first time ever though right now they were filled with dirt, mud and tored from many places. One of them departed from group and walked towards me. He stood still few meters away from me. Raised his right hand and made sound of click by pressing his right middle finger to his thumb. Another one began to beat drum again. ¡°Both worlds can fit within me, but in this world I cannot fit¡± ¡°I am the placeless essence, but into existence I cannot fit¡± ¡°Stranger where your legs are taking you?¡± he asked. ¡°To place where this road leads.¡± I replied. ¡°Shall you come with us, you will have no more care of this world anymore. Wealth and worldly matters are of no meaning to us. We seek favor of God of Fire... Join us and see what¡¯s unseen. Leave us and you may forget us for once and all..¡±. He began to walk again in opposite direction to Metropolis. Rest of them joined him beating drums and singing. ¡°Lehman, I shall come to you!¡± After 5 years, I am still with these idiots. Laying down under rock¡¯s shade, drinking wine, I am listening to their singing. P.S : MAP OF PYRRHUS P.P.S: I could not reach 10000 word limit, but this chapter is still a long read.. Next: 07 - Survival of the Fittest 07 - Survival of the Fittest Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 07 ¨C Survival of Fittest Evelyn¡¯s POV Sitting on throne for queen, I look at my right side. Empty throne meant for king is as clean as it ever was. To the right of thrones there is statue of Pyrr in human form. He is neither tall nor small. Long hair he has. He has clothes that no one could say from where they originate. It looks like a robe, though I have not seen anyone wearing something like that yet. Not even priests of Holy Church. On my left, there is another statue which is glued to wall. It is Pyrr¡¯s godly form. Body of Pyrr is sculpted in circular manner, its tail almost in its mouth. Wing that it has makes it look different from normal lizards. Everything that was inside throne room was either made of gold or colored to red. It was to honor Pyrr. ¡°How many years it has been?¡± I questioned myself. ¡°15 years old is my son Karan. 14 years and 6 month¡¯s has passed then¡±. My father bribed medical staff of king to poison Avion promising them heaven on earth. All of them have been rotting in Stillwater Asylum since then, without hands to write and tongue to tell what really happened. Avion of House Iltsin. Daydreaming, I muttered. [Evelyn]: I loved him. [-]: We all loved him, my queen! Hearing voice of man who spoke, I came back to senses from realm of my imaginations. My vision cleared instantly. Black robe, black leather gloves and black hoodie covering most of his face ¨C ambassador of Nekyia people was standing less than 10 meters away from throne. He haven¡¯t aged for a minute. It was same person who I saw 16 years ago, when I stepped into throne room for first time ever holding Avion¡¯s arm. Featureless face he had then is same even after 16 years time. I couldn¡¯t evade my eyes from his mouth first time ever he talked in front of us. No face expressions at all for 5 minutes of speech he gave. His mouth opened and closed as if imitating the words rather than them coming out of it. [Evelyn]: Exo, what are Nekyia? [Exo]: We are dead but alive. We are one but many. We are many but one. [Evelyn]: Riddles? [Exo]: No riddle, my queen. Truth. [Evelyn]: How many years it has been that you are an ambassador? [Exo]: Close to 13 centuries, my queen. [Evelyn]: Are you immortal? [Exo]: Yes and no, my queen. [Evelyn]: What do you think of Karan? Is he going to be a good king? [Exo]: It depends on who he is going to take wife as. [Evelyn]: What are you hinting at? [Exo]: Truth, my queen. [Evelyn]: Leave, Exo! --------- Full map of Pyrrhus --------- Cyrus¡¯s POV ¡°It is a Dreadclaw¡± screamed Casius. ¡°I told him to sign not to scream¡± occurred to me. It jumped out of woods in direction of Casius. Naive kid, stood in front of bear with trembling legs. It smelled fear in him. Dreadclaw referred to wild bear with large amount of mana whose mutation has gone wrong. Dreadclaws have no sanity left in them and through their life span they attack everything that shows up on their path. Devouring and eating prey¡¯s was their daily routine. They never mate. ¡°If you see one, best option is to run if you are alone and in case there is a group of you, hit and run tactic is the best¡± was what Professor Macklemore had told us in Monarch Academy. ¡°Run, Casius, Run¡± I whispered. He was to shocked to move. Dreadclaw attacked him with his right paw. Casius did not move at all and a second later his head was no more on his neck. Sword still grasped in his hands, his dead body fell backwards. Dreadclaw opened its mouth and bit dead Casius¡¯s leg. Tearing off his leg from Casius¡¯s body, it began to chew it slowly. Dreadclaw was no more looking like a normal bear. It had very less fur than mountain bear and it¡¯s claws were stronger than steal because of mutation. Eyes of monster were white all over inside eye-socket. ¡°He is not aware of my existence, yet¡± I murmured to myself. It is failed mutation which can not cast magic, so I should be able to kill it and avenge Casius. ¡°Dark Mists¡± I chanted, slowly but surely, opposite to spells name, white mists began to close on area where Casius¡¯s dead body was lying. Dreadclaw was taking it second bite, and was unaware of mists yet. ¡°Vision of Gods¡± I chanted to activate the spell that would give me abilities to see in mists. I took out small glass from my backpack filled with deadly poison. Carefully, I spilled few drops of it on tip of arrow. Closing it off, I put it in backpack and looked at dreadclaw again. It¡¯s head was half invisible because it¡¯s mouth was inside Casius¡¯s belly chewing it off. ¡°In case, you are alone and there is no way to escape. Aim at his neck, just below it¡¯s mouth. It will be your only chance against dreadclaw...¡± were words of Professor Macklemore that I remembered. I put arrow into the bow and pulled it string aiming at dreadclaw¡¯s eye. I pulled back as strong as I could to make sure that it hits and goes deep into its head. ¡°For Casius¡± I whispered and released the string. Tossing away bow, I unsheathed sword that was on my left hip. Arrow got right on spot. Dreadclaw began to growl in pain, standing on two legs and moving without seeing anything. I jumped over small rock which I was hiding behind and began to run forward. I was few meters away from dreadclaw when it dropped on four legs and as if smelling me opened it¡¯s mouth very wide to retaliate. Faster than half blind dreadclaw, I bended backwards to slip on wet moss that was on rocky ground. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Dreadclaw was late to attack, as I have already smashed my sword onto the right spot. Turning to face ground, I crawled out moments before it dropped dead. ¡°Void, Vision of Gods¡± I chanted and my vision came back to normal and I was blinded by mist so I chanted ¡°Void, Dark Mists¡± too. I moved towards Casius¡¯s dead body and took out his sword by cutting off his fingers with knife to release grasp on sword¡¯s hilt. Kid was so scared that his hands were still pressing on swords hilt even after his death. I chopped of dreadclaw¡¯s head and took out another potion from my backpack. I spilled oil on Casius¡¯s deceased body and burned it so that no wild animals would eat it. I left dreadclaw¡¯s body there and went back to Acrin village where my mother and sister were. Two weeks ago, my mother took me and my sister to Acrin village which is located almost on our western border. It was closest village to Wyg Heights that acted as border between lands of Lyth and Cohen. Firstly, I thought that we are going to check out villages, towns and cities under our rule but on way mother told us that there is an old hag who can predict our future for us. All of her predictions had came true and so on. We reached a bit late though, as she was already buried in her tomb. I came out of forests with dreadclaws lifeless head in my hand. People were running to me to see what I have killed. I heard them whispering about my bravery which boasted my ego more than usual. My mother, my sister and guards were waiting for us at entrance of Acrin village. [-]: What have you done this time? I could not raise dreadclaw¡¯s head to sky so I threw it to my front and put my right leg on top of it. [Cyrus]: I, Cyrus of House of Lyth, have killed dreadclaw that was terrorizing Acrin village for past few weeks. You can go to forest to pick up fruits and herbs at ease. Everyone shouted and clapped. I knew how to win over them... ¡°Peasants¡± I whispered. We stayed another night, as village elder gave spectacular feast for my accomplishment. Everyone ate, drank and danced. In the morning, we left back to our mansion. I was sitting in carriage besides my lovely sister Aila, while our mother was sitting opposite to us. [-]: I did not want to shout at you yesterday in front of everyone.. How dare you! [Cyrus]: You should be careful with your tone in front of future king, Lady Kal Min of House of Lyth. [Kal-Min]: What happened to Casius? [Cyrus]: He was the bait! [Kal-Min]: Bait? We wasted 7 years of hard work on him to raise him as your scribe and you used him as bait? [Cyrus]: Yes, mother! If he was a smart kid, he would not have died. Pyrr bless him and his soul! [Kal-Min]: That is not right way to handle your subordinates, Cyrus! [Cyrus]: He was my scribe! Moreover you would not let me use any of guards if I had told you that I¡¯m going to kill the dreadclaw. Listen to me mother! Karan of Forbes is Avion¡¯s child but his grandfather has already made sure that he goes by surname Forbes. Although, he is weak and no one would be able to stop me from destroying him to sit on throne. Next possible threat is Kyle from House of Cohen¡¯s. He seems smart and athletic though they never have claimed the throne. I know them well! I study with them. I have good friendship with Kyle. You and your damned husband shall make friendship with Farrell and Riley Cohen as soon as possible, because I will need their support to overthrow the future king Karan. [Kal-Min]: It¡¯s too early for you to talk about stuff like that. Day by day you sound like your late grandfather! [Cyrus]: Its always late but never early! Do not forget mother, this world¡¯s only rule is fittest survives! ------- Kain¡¯s POV I entered barracks and asked for sir Destrian. I was shown into small room. Sir Destrian was man of age but he still had great build and aggressive aura around him. There were four more men besides him who I had never met before. They were standing behind a table. Map of Cohen territories and knife was on table. They stopped talking as soon as noticed my existence. ¡°Are you the kid who Lord Riley Cohen recommended?¡± was the first thing sir Destrian asked of me. ¡°Yes, I am¡±. ¡°Hey kiddo, I¡¯m Jon ¨C healer of sir Destrian¡¯s platoon and they are Leo, Nigel and Vurm ¨C talented warriors.¡± ¡°Prove yourself kid!¡± Destrian added. ¡°Prove?¡± I was puzzled. ¡°Yeah, prove that you are worthy to be trained with me in arts of swordsmanship! You may be good with pen but what about swords? Do you have courage for it?¡± he spoke as if to humiliate me. Typical army men, I thought. I walked few steps towards table and grabbed knife with my right hand. Grabbing from hand-held of knife I told them ¡°Nice knife!¡±, ¡°It¡¯s no toy kid¡± replied sir Destrian. As he finished talking, I pushed my left hand onto the table and stabbed knife onto it. It cut through in between bones that connected middle and index finger. My hand began to bleed and I took out the knife. I did not scream or flinched. Instead I told ¡°Should I stab one of your men or is it enough?¡±... Destrian laughed out loud and ordered Jon to heal my left hand so that it was better than before. ¡°Fuck me, I was wrong¡± he told and ordered me to go with Jon for proper healing and later on to find a bed in barracks. We were going to start training... Next: 08 - Regret 08 - Regret Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 08 ¨C Regret Destrian¡¯s POV January of 4028. Barracks near Cohen Manor. Normally, Lord Farrell or Lord Kyle had to select person to be trained by me to protect future lords after Riley Cohen¡¯s death. It was unexpected for me when it was mentioned that Lord Riley personally selected Kain. I, as the protector of Cohen family was chosen by Lord Riley¡¯s late father some 40 years ago, and it took me 7-8 years of hard training to become what I am today. It¡¯s been more than 30 years that I have served Cohen family. According to long revered customs, Riley could but shouldn¡¯t choose my successor. Nevertheless, Lord Riley was one of the best ruler¡¯s that House of Cohen had seen. He was neither a great warrior, nor a magician. Quite the reverse, he was so sneaky, intelligent and accustomed to ways of politics that there would be no one in entire Pyrr who could outmaneuver him in matters of business and state politics. I have deep respect to him because of this. He must have his own reasons to select Kain. It was late night and I was standing outside barracks, gazing stars and enjoying peace that surrounded me. I was startled by sudden movement and turned back as fast as lightening keeping my usual calm. ¡°Are you out to stargaze?¡± I asked Jon. Affiliated with light magic, Jon has served as a healer for last 15 years besides me. He was dedicated to his job, and was nice fellow overall. In time, he had proven his skills over and over so I made sure that he joins every meeting which I held with leaders of my platoon. ¡°Uncle Destrian you know that I do not like stargazing at all!¡± he said sighing. ¡°Old age, Jon. When you reach my age, you won¡¯t be able to remember where your dick is. Let alone, to recount whether which warrior in your platoon likes to stargaze, which does not¡± I countered smiling. Jon laughed. ¡°I am here to talk about that new kid, Kain¡± he expressed as if knowing some secret that I was not aware of. ¡°Go on¡± I addressed him. ¡°I tried to heal him, but my magic was more like supporting his regeneration rather than initiating it¡± he stated. ¡°Elaborate!¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°Let me show you, after me please¡± he stated and turned to move. I followed him into barracks. We walked through beds that were filled with soldiers. For a moment, I looked at Kain who was sleeping soundly. We entered ¡°Defense Quarter¡±. It was a small room that had table and stools for us to discuss tactics and future plans. Cohen family had an army that it supported but we were not part of it. Some of us were protecting Cohen Manor while others went to kill dangerous mutated or high level monsters, guardians or anything else that could be classified as threat. We were elite forces. Jon had oil lamp in his hand which was placed on top of wooden table. ¡°Check it¡± he spoke in reference to something which I didn¡¯t understand. To check what? Observing my failure to understand or to see, he pointed his hand to few places on table. Even though oil lamp was lighting room, it was still dark and my eyes failed to detect firstly. I moved my hand towards direction which Jon had referred. My index finger went through hole into top of table. ¡°What¡¯s with the hole on table has to with Kain?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°Sir Destrian, there was never gap on table surface.¡± He continued pointing to few other dent¡¯s close to each other ¡°These ones were made after kid¡¯s blood spilled on table.¡± Around 4 o''clock next morning, I woke up, though I stayed in bed for another ten-fifteen minutes for my body to adapt to my awake state. Changing my clothes, I came to barracks to wake up Kain to begin his training. ¡°Waking him up much earlier than usual for few days and he will brake¡± passed my mind. I opened door and entered to see him already awake and putting his shirt on. ¡°Sir Destrian, good morning¡± he bowed a bit. ¡°Morning! Kain you will train more than anybody, as everyone has trained for years and experienced battles first-hand for many times. You have long way to go!¡± I tried to explain him harsh reality. Kain nodded in approval. We went outside. ¡°50 laps around barracks¡± I commanded. He began to run. I was not going to teach him using wooden sticks, instead I had ordered blacksmith from Howe village to make katana specifically for Kain. I rode my stallion to Howe village and back to barracks. Kain was 110cm tall, and this katana was perfect for him. It took him half an hour for 30 laps and one hour for other 20. It was a good sign. After he ate breakfast, I called out to him and gave him katana. ¡°Kain I¡¯m going to teach you, although my knowledge in theory of swordsmanship is limited. I was taught bluntly and by your age I was much more bigger in build than you. Most of my knowledge has been accumulated after through and through battles and near-death experiences.¡± I stopped to see him watching me as if he was no kid. ¡°Lord Riley has different plans about you. He is planning to send you off to Monarch Academy, where nobles get educated. He thinks highly of you. I would like to think so too, but you gotta prove yourself.¡± I stopped to take a breathe and continued ¡°Jon will teach you about mysteries of mana and Leo will teach you swordsmanship. If you will have any kind of problem, do not hesitate to contact me directly ¡±. Stolen story; please report. ------ Exo¡¯s POV January of 4028. Palace of Queens and Kings Ambassador¡¯s of Nekyia were given special place to live within Palace of Queens and Kings while representative of house¡¯s ruling different regions had their own manor or mansions on Cardigan Road within Astoria. Nekyia people never eat, drink or sleep so according to their request only a room was provided for them. Nevertheless, it was one of the largest single rooms available in Palace of Queens and Kings. There were astonishing 25 windows and an exit to balcony in ambassador¡¯s room. Sheer curtains made of highest quality cotton laces were half blocking sun rays from entering ambassador¡¯s room. There was a large table with almost 50 stools besides it for special occasions but looking closely they have never ever been used. Moreover there were lots of paintings on walls depicting pictures of nature. A single armchair with golden hand-rests was located near one of many windows. Ambassador Exo was sitting on armchair, watching lively scene happening in Astoria. ¡°Ambassador of Nekyia¡± Exo murmured to himself. ¡°It is my 3000¡¯s birthday today¡± he continued after a while. ¡°3000 years has passed after my rebirth...¡± he kept on talking. ¡°If I was wise, I would have declined Nekyia¡¯s offer... Unfortunately, I am not¡± said to himself calmly. ¡°Why to live when you are dead? What¡¯s purpose if I can touch but not feel?¡± he thought endlessly sitting on chair. Instantly, sounds of ¡°screeching¡± could be heard in ambassador¡¯s room. ¡°Exo, reply!¡± sound came but only Exo could hear. ¡°Exo, speaking, Elder can you hear me?¡± replied Exo again no sound could be heard in room. ¡°Send the information!¡± voice ordered. ¡°Transfer complete!¡± Again ¡°screeches¡± could be heard for another two or three times but it ended abruptly as if nothing had happened. Breeze rushed in to room from open window and black curtain felt on Exo¡¯s face. ------- Kain¡¯s POV Late January of 4028. Barracks near Cohen Mansion. ¡°Jon how do I...¡± I asked but ¡°slowly one step at a time¡± Jon cut in. ¡°Let go of everything... Enter meditative state Kain. Feel as if there nothing, not even your own existence.¡± Jon continued. I sat in lotus position meditating. I have tried it for almost 20th time and almost on every single try I have drifted into sleep. Leo tried to teach me using katana but fortunately as black belt judoka, after going to Australia, I had practiced Aikido for 10 years. Up to my death in old world. I grasped every single move Leo had taught me from first try, doing it perfectly. Leo was impressed and I had seen him talking to old man Destrian about me in positive way. I had mastered katana in mere 10 days, while it took almost a decade for most and involuntarily I was labeled ¡°little genius¡±. However I was stuck with this unknown phenomenon to me called mana. In theory everything was simple but in practice it was totally different. Jon had told me that difference between warrior and magician was that warrior¡¯s would use weapons such as swords, hammer, axe, spear or something else while magicians would depend on powerful spells and chants during battle. Nevertheless, fundamentally both of them relied on mana to activate spell or sword attack. Anybody with insufficient amount of mana would be a foot soldier. ¡°I was told that I¡¯m affiliated with fire magic!?¡± I asked Jon. ¡°I have not met any fire type magicians, best of them are in Monarch Academy. If you get there, most probably you will know proper spells and chants.. Until then only way is to utilize it through your weapon.. That¡¯s why you have to draw it out and using your katana dispel it¡±. I nodded but still I was stuck in understanding and applying, basic mana manipulation that Jon was trying to teach me. Throughout our conversations with Jon and Leo, I learnt that there are categories for magicians and warriors. Destrian was 8th rank warrior with mana affiliation towards earth type. Jon was 6th rank healer magician affiliated with light type mana while Leo was 7th rank warrior affiliated with wind mana. Destrian¡¯s platoon was cream of the crop. He had personally chosen each and every warrior and magician within platoon. As I learnt more I understood why he referred to his platoon as elite. Moreover peak warrior and magician ever in history of Pyrr achieving 9th level in both practices almost 60 years ago is called Tabasaran. Also, Tabasaran is the grandmaster of Monarch Academy. I was previously involved in martial arts, so I knew that to be at top you had to exercise and practice a lot. That was why slowly but eventually I was going to learn everything possible from Leo, Jon and Destrian. Next: 09 - Mission 09 - Mission ********************* Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 09 ¨C Mission Kain¡¯s POV Early February, 4029. Barracks near Cohen Mansion Yesterday, I was told that I¡¯ll be sparring against footsoldiers to put my knowledge into practice. 17 years old soldier from Howe village, which was located few kilometers away from Cohen Mansion, was called to spar against me. I can¡¯t recall his name but he was foot-soldier who has shown exceptional feats during his past few years of service in army and most probably in few years was going to be promoted to lead a squad. There was circular arena at backside of barracks enclosed by tall poplar tree that rose more than 30 meters long. Most of platoon was there to see how I was going to perform. They had selected foot-soldier because I was not able to draw out mana yet to perform sword tactics. My opponent was standing opposite to me at other side of arena. He was holding large sword in his hands. At 175-180 cms tall, and physically in much more better condition, if I went to fight him head on with sword, I would bitterly lose. He was grinning, thinking of easy defeat. He entered arena. Fight would begin if I joined in too. I took out my katana, put it on ground and entered arena without any weapons on me. Surprised eyes were gazing at me. Leo wanted to interfere but Destrian didn¡¯t allow him to enter the circle. Light body armor from waist up to shoulders was covering contestant¡¯s upper body. Small sized ropes were used to bind front and rear parts of armor together up from shoulder and sides. ¡°I could grab from those parts of vest¡± went through my mind. Competitor¡¯s eyes were filled with rage, after he saw me dropping off my katana. Most probably he thought as member of Destrian¡¯s platoon I was underestimating him even though I was a kid and small in size. I walked slowly to center to agitate him more. Emotions would always get your brain to do stupid stuff and right now I wanted him to make a mistake. Everything happened in less than 5 seconds. He strived forward slashing his massive sword at me. Without losing any second, I made two fast steps and got into position under his arms and sword that he slashed already had passed me. Difference between us was around 55-60 cms so I couldn¡¯t grab his shoulder instead I went for ropes binding his protective vest. ¡®Okuri ashi barai¡¯ was name of judo foot technique to throw the opponent that I was going to use. Although because of height difference, I was going to modify it a bit according to situation which I was in. As he detected me close to his body, he tried to retreate when with my left hand I grabbed rope bind his vest from right bottom side, and with my right hand grabbed rope binding his vest from upper left side of his body. Without losing momentum, using my left leg I pushed his right leg towards left and he felt down losing grip from his sword. As soon as he was on ground, I used palm of my right hand and hit his nose from right to left as strong as possible. Cracking noise was heard, and blood came out of his nose. I did let go of him and swiftly moved back. Destrian had a sinister grin on his face, while Leo and Jon were shocked. ¡°Enough¡± shouted Destrian after he saw young soldier standing to attack again. ¡°You were lucky, Kain¡± Destrian spoke looking at me, ¡°I created my own luck¡± I replied. Everyone laughed even soldier who was bleeding. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Kyle¡¯s POV Early February, 4029. Monarch Academy Male Dorms. Prince Karan Iltsin¡¯s room. Sitting on armchair I was looking at Karan Iltsin talking to rest of guests. ¡°Is he really fit to be the next king?¡±, ¡°Will he choose his own path or be under House of Forbes¡¯s influence?¡±. ¡°Throne is cursed¡± grandfather Riley had told me many times. ¡°Why?¡± I had asked him as much. ¡°You shall know when you are ready¡± was what he had replied to me each and every time. It does not matter to me whether Karan is going to be a successful king or puppet of his mother¡¯s family. All I care about is my own family. We have ruled this lands for more than millennium, and I have to be ready to shoulder responsibilities when my time to rule comes. [-]: Lost in thoughts? [Kyle]: Cyrus! I was thinking of ways to evade tomorrow¡¯s history class¡­ [Cyrus]: Was that the reason why you were looking at Karan so deeply? Is he some kind of demigod that inspires people such as you in creative endeavors? [Kyle]: I don¡¯t follow your logic¡­ [Cyrus]: Kyle, you should be looking at me instead of him. [Kyle]: Big ambitions? [Cyrus]: Now, it may seem so, but in 10 years it will become reality. [Kyle]: You need to be careful, Cyrus! Patting on my shoulder, Cyrus left for good. He is dangerous, especially ambitions of his. Jumping from one danger to another, I saw Karan walking towards me. ¡°Come on Kyle, we are doing puzzles and you are no help at all¡± he spoke smiling. ¡°Yeah, coming!¡± Riley Cohen¡¯s POV. Mid February, 4029. Cohen Mansion ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked looking at Destrian. ¡°My Lord, he still can not understand how to draw out mana and he is a kid with no real life experience.¡± Destrian answered. ¡°He did a great job though, beating that foot-soldier.¡± I continued ¡°I clearly remember your first fight, back when you were 16, Destrian¡±. ¡°Lord, what he did was not chivalrous.¡± Destrian murmured. ¡°Knowing his own limits, calculating possible options, angering opponent and winning the fight¡­¡± I halted for a moment then ¡°Kid did create his own luck¡±. ¡°You are free to go Destrian!¡± I commanded. I was sick and tired of sitting in library for most of time reading reports regarding economic, political and social problems from territories of our own house and of kingdom. Analyzing them I had to come up with decisions that could affect everyday lives of millions. I sat for hours without moving at all which affected my metabolism; I was getting fat and unhealthy. Standing up, I used my handstick to walk. My right leg was so numb that, I didn¡¯t feel it all. Slowly I walked out of library and walked to my bedroom. Metal containter filled with clean water was near mirror where I advanced as soon as entering the bedroom. Using my left hand, I washed my face and look at mirror. ¡°Even in my own mansion¡­I can not talk¡± was going through my head. ¡°Even walls have ears that work for them¡±¡­¡±But it shall change, I will change it¡±¡­¡±Kyle is smart, I hope he does not stray from right path in Astoria¡±¡­¡±I will make sure Kain is ready to aid him¡±. P.S: Share you thoughts on story.. I would like to hear your expectations! What you want to read more? Fights? Wars? Family feud? Next: 10 - Tears Glossary It''s updated up to chapter 10... As new characters and things pop up, so this glossary will be renewed List of Characters Kain ¨C Protagonist of story who has been reincarnated in Continent of Pyrr after killed by his closest mates.. Leila ¨C Kain¡¯s mother Oscar ¨C Kain¡¯s father House of Cohen Riley Cohen ¨C Ruler of House of Cohen, old in age Farrell Cohen ¨C Riley¡¯s son. He is a water style magus Kyle Cohen ¨C Riley¡¯s grandson. Talented kid. Student at Monarch Academy Sir Destrian ¨C Knighted by Riley Cohen, Destrian leads elite corps of Cohen house. Jon ¨C healer at Destrian¡¯s platoon. Leo, Nigel and Vurm ¨C Squad leaders at Destrian¡¯s platoon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- House of Lyth Cyrus Lyth ¨C Student at Monarch Academy. Future leader of Lyth House, wants to be the next king. Can utilize wind magic Aila Lyth ¨C Cyrus¡¯s little sister, not much known about her. Cyrus is fond of her. Kal Min Lyth ¨C Cyrus¡¯s mother ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- House of Iltsin Avion Iltsin ¨C Current Queen Evelyn¡¯s late husband, father of Karan Iltsin Karan Iltsin ¨C Will be King after reaches age of 20. His mother Evelyn Forbes is ruling in his stead. Attends Monarch Academy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- House of Forbes The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Evelyn Forbes ¨C Wife of late King Avion. Ruler of Kingdom until her son Karan reaches mature age and ready to rule ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- People of Nekyia Exo ¨C Ambassador of Nekyia people in Kingdom. Not much known about him or Nekyia people. Map - Continent of PYRRHUS Landmarks, Cities, Towns, Villages... The Molten Peak ¨C Only volcano in Continent of Pyrrhus. It is not included as part of any house and there are sects and religions which take it as holy place. Temple of Lehman ¨C Long dead religion, whose High Priest is Qaffar and only follower is Damien. Qaffar is left by himself after sending Damien to search for kid who has red eyes. Not much is known about Temple of Lehman or why they have been closed down by Holy Church. Holy Church ¨C Nothing is known about them yet. Astoria ¨C Capital City of Kingdom Howe - Village which is next to House of Cohen. Acrin ¨C Village in territories of House of Lyth. It is very close to Wyg Heights which is border between House of Cohen and Lyth territories. Palace of Queens and Kings ¨C Royal palace which is in Astoria. Magical spells, warrior attacks Dark Mists ¨C spell used by wind magicians to cover area with white fog and mist. Visibility level drops to almost zero if magician who chanted it is of higher level and experience.. Vision of Gods ¨C spell to make your eyes to see in mists, darkness etc... 10 - Tears ********************* Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 10 ¨C Tears Kain¡¯s POV Mid May. 4029. Somewhere near Cohen Manor It has been quite a while that everybody had gone to sleep. With a push to my arms, I moved up to check for anyone else that could be awake, after I made sure that everyone is sleeping ¨C I left barracks. I walked towards Cohen Mansion altough my destination was not it. Walking past manor, I went towards lake. I have been training hard, and success came with it. Problem that I faced was that I could not manipulate mana within my body. Jon and Leo always told me to ¡°draw it out¡±, send it to my weapon and release it to take physical form. One simple sentence it was but realising it was much more harder. If they had told me to do integral equations, it would been much more easier for me. I didn¡¯t know what mana is and had never experienced it beforehands. More important than Jon, Leo, Destrian, Riley or even my mother Leila, I needed to learn for myself. Being able to manipulate mana will open many doors to me that may take decades to achive that much of success if I worked hard day and night. Magicians and warriors held high status in this world¡¯s society. I gazed at lake. Its surface was covered with bright light that perfectly mirrored two moons that were on sky. For a while I was delighted by the view. Unsheathening the katana, I put it on my right side and sat on grass. ¡°Feel it!¡± Jon had told me earlier while Leo has instructed ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself, just let it flow out¡±. Owl were hooting, which made me feel essence of nature more than usual. Closing my eyes I began to meditate. I had meditated daily for long time now, but this time everything felt different. It was as if wind was talking to me, trees were trying to tell me something, ruffling waves of lake were whispering some kind of secret that I was not understanding. ¡°How can you understand something is not bound by time and space?¡± passed my mind which Destrian had told me months ago. I sensed warm feeling that was heating my body and in opposite chilly pleasure that was balancing earlier heat out. I opened my eyes to see waves of dark red and royal blue mana flowing all around my body in spiral form, by each other. I smiled while looking at my right hand. Two types of mana were flowing all the way from my shoulders to my arm joint and up to my fingers. I took katana and stood up. Royal blue and dark red mana began to act rebelliously after I took katana into my hands. I could see them ¡®hitting¡¯ each other and katana¡¯s hilt. My left leg in front while right leg supporting it from back, I grasped hilt of katana with both hands and raised it above my head. It was called jodan-no-kamae stance which is the most aggressive out of five in aikido. I sensed red and blue mana gathering in katana. Third step was to release through weapon,I screamed ¡°Falcon¡¯s Beak¡± and went for vertical cut as if slashing person into two. Massive amount of mixed royal blue and dark red mana blowed out of katana and I lost consciousness. ¡°Sir he is alright¡±...¡±This idiot released too much mana for first time and breaching his body¡¯s natural limit lost consciousness as a result¡±...¡±is he alright, sir Jon?¡±...¡±do not worry, he needs to sleep and recover¡± were last things that I heard before going to deep sleep. It was a surreal dream. I was looking at an army of hundred thousands standing in front of me. Body that I was occupying felt different though. It was not of human¡¯s. Royal blue colored mana was surrounding me and I began to levitate. In short while, I began to float at fixed height. There were magicians and warriors who were attacking me from distance but their strikes were useless as royal blue mana was diffusing each and every one of them by swirling around me. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Avalon¡± spurted out of my mouth and dark red mana began to dissipate out of my body by getting mixed up into air. Superficially clouds began to darken and some kind of horrifying aura was felt all around. I could see terrorized face of my opponents. Nevertheless, I felt no fear at all. In a flash, fire balls in big sizes began to fall down from sky as if a meteor shower was occuring. Boom! Splash! It continued for a while and again I talked ¡°Void, Avalon¡±! My voice sounded differently, even I was surprised at boldness and intimidation of it. Dark clouds disappeared and sky was blue again. Although smoke from earlier attack was covering sky again. Looking back at area, where army was standing earlier, nothing was left. Deep craters were made on each other and it looked like an atomic bomb has blasted in there. _____________________________________ Leila¡¯s POV Late May. 4029. Servants quarter of Cohen Mansion. I was born and raised in Howe village. At age of 20 I married Oscar out of love. We were childhood friends, though he moved to Cohen Mansion 10 years earlier because his father was promoted to work and live there. Everyone and everything in Howe was property of Cohen¡¯s so we couldn¡¯t do anything at all back in those days. Although before Oscar replacing his predecessor, we married. After two years of our marriage, Kain was born. I knew he was different and special after Kain walked out of burning house without a scratch. I took him into my arms and kissed him on cheeks. It was like Kain was not inside a burning house at all, his body was not burnt and body temprature was stable as if no heat affected him. Oscar was filled with joy when we heard news about his appointment as scribe to Riley Cohen. It gave us a chance to live without worry after he gets old enough to earn good amount of silver and gold to support us. I have seen Kain many times at nights, when he was around 3 years of age, reading books under light of oil lamp which intrigued me a lot. Most of us were illiterate, and I was astonished by his feats. Even nobles were not able to learn as young as him. Financial sides were important to me. But they were never heavier scaled than his well-being to me. He was of my blood. Sometimes I was worried as his eyes were lacking compassion towards others. He seemed too focused on goals he had set. That night, Oscar woke me up and in a panicking voice said ¡°Kain.. Kain¡±. ¡°What happened to him?¡± I asked. ¡°Come dear, hurry!¡± he told and left. In confusion, I put on my clothes and ran outside. There were torches on servants hands. I ran in stress, following light of torches and came to see my dear Kain lying numb on ground. I screamed ¡°Kain¡± and tried to grab and hug my beloved one. Oscar cut me off and said ¡°Wait, sir Jon is healing him¡±. I was worried to death. Without knowing, tears were flowing out of my eyes... ¡±is he alright, sir Jon?¡± Oscar inquired.¡±Do not worry, he needs to sleep and recover¡± that person responded. Oscar took Kain into his arms. We were told not to worry and let them know when Kain wakes up. It has been more than 10 days that Kain has been in deep sleep. I have been sitting by bed he was sleeping on day and night. Tears were sweeping between my nose and cheeks. I touched his face. ¡°Kain¡± I whispered. He slowly opened his eyes and said ¡°Mom¡±... P.S : Are you guys alright with pacing of story? Next: 10 - Daon 11 - Daon ********************* Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 11 ¨C Daon Kain¡¯s POV Late May. 4029. Servants quarter of Cohen Mansion. ¡°Leila¡± was first word to come out of my mouth as soon as I regained consciousness, leaving world of dreams. She was by my side, and tears were flowing out of her eyes and dropping on my left arm. ¡°Mom¡± I whispered again. ¡°I won¡¯t let you leave my side again¡± she murmured crying. ¡°Mom¡± I repeated. ¡°Sorry, I have made you worry, but there is nothing wrong.. I just¡± Destrian cut in ¡°Didn¡¯t control output of mana¡±. Leila turned back to see sir Destrian standing by the door, Vurm and Jon besides him. My mother was startled by their appearance. ¡°We have to check him out. He is the best candidate you know¡± Vurm talked. ¡°I have changed my mind. I want him to be a lumberjack when he grows up.. No more scribe, mage or warrior games¡± Leila insisted. Vurm closed distance between us and talked in threatening tone ¡°He is my disciple now.. I will...¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Vurm¡± I cut in without letting him finish his sentence. I knew he was kinda crazy, although not as much as me. They left the room leaving Leila and me alone. ¡°Mom, I choose this path not because you wanted me to be who I am. It was because I wanted to follow this path..¡± I stopped to breathe ¡°I know its dangerous and fatal path.. But this is what I want to be. So please do not stand on my way... If you do, I will not go.. I love you more than anything and anybody. But I will not be happy, living life of minor servant, lumberjack, baker or anything else..Try to understand and respect my choice¡± I finished and hugged her. Early June. 4029. Barracks near Cohen Mansion Vurm, Leo and Nigel will be leaders of 3 squads which in total make Destrian¡¯s platoon. Nigel was the youngest one so Destrian was going to stay by his side while two other squad¡¯s will be monitoring areas near forest where potential monsters or animals capable of threatening humans could emerge. Jon was going to stay at Cohen Mansion because Riley Cohen was of old age, and experienced healer such as Jon was needed in manor at all times. All of the forests in between mountains and human population within Cohen House territories were referred as Alpine Cypress Grove. Our squad was going to go up all the way to north by ship and use horses to walk back to center to meet Destrian and Nigel while Leo¡¯s squad will go to south to ride up to center. Plan seemed easy, but it will take another 3-4 years of travel at least. Mid December. 4029. Boulder Bay Our ship boarded the port on Daon Island in Boulder Bay. There were 8 islands inside Boulder Bay and Daon was the most suitable one to land before continuing the trip. It was at meeting point of waters of Boulder Bay with Crystal Abyss Ocean. Daon City was covering all of island. It had heavily fortified wall of 8 kms or more surrounding it. City was divided into two parts. The High town to the west and the lower town towards east-south-east. Originally divided by walls within Daon, the high town was occupied by ruling family of island, families of knights and courtesans, wealthy merchants, merchant guilds, Court of Commerce, the Archbishop¡¯s Palace and so on. Great Hospital of Daon was bordering two parts of city. In opposite side, at the lower town port, inns, police station, Holy Church, bazaars and so on were located. We were greeted by Chief of Police Noe di Mattia as soon as our ship docked the port. Local police chief acted way to much polite with Vurm and welcomed all of us in great respect. He talked about pirates being overly active near Daon and he wanted our help in interrogating few of them. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Sir Vurm, we have captured 3 pirates trying to get into city as merchants, but none of them are talking about anything...¡± Noe began to speak. ¡°Where are they?¡± Vurm replied in aggressive manner. ¡°In Jail... Follow me please.¡± Without rest, we went into underground jail beneath police station. Torches were lighting our path through the underground jail. We reached jail room enclosed with metallic bars and there were three pirates sitting side by side. ¡°Kiddo, you want to know what brotherly love is?¡± a pirate with few golden tooth grinned at me. ¡°Do you want to interrogate them?¡± Vurm asked me. ¡°Yeah, why not!¡± I responded. Vurm nodded and few of our comrades went inside and used ropes to bind them to three different stools. Hands and legs of pirates were bound with pre-chanted anti-magic iron shackles. Vurm took out a knife and gave it to me. ¡°Brotherly love, ha?¡± I smiled talking. Knife at my hand I walked towards first pirate who had golden teeth. ¡°I assume you won''t talk¡± I told. Without waiting to reply, I grabbed his right hand and cutted his pinky finger off bluntly. He began to scream while I was still trying to chop it off. ¡°Hey, come on! We just begun!¡± I talked and continued. Blood was spurting out of his hand while I brought knife up to his chin and told him ¡°I like your ears..¡±. I moved to back side of stool he was sitting on and asked ¡°Vurm which one do you think I should cut? Right or left?¡±. Vurm was smiling. I knew he was a psycho. ¡°Right one!¡± he talked. I cut pirate¡¯s left ear in one fast move. ¡°I told you right ear..¡± Vurm talked in commanding voice. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that right ear from your perspective? Never-mind, better without any ears.¡± I swiftly cut his right ear off. He was screaming in horror. ¡°do we have axe in here?¡± I looked at police chief. He was startled. ¡°I will order to-to-too bring one¡± he replied anxiously. I stabbed knife into eye-socket of pirate. He died in pain. I walked towards other two and checked their teeth. ¡°I do not like people with gold tooth, you know!¡± I spoke. ¡°Now tell us everything that we need to know, or else your deaths will not be as easy as that one... I will use axe to chop you to pieces.¡± They may be pirates. But at the end of day they are humans. If you scare them enough, they will tell you everything that you need to know. ¡°If we can fire three torches tonight from northern room of Great Hospital of Daon, our comrades will attack in two days. There are totally 2 ships and 70 pirates including us. Original plan was to pillage and leave city same night¡± both of them told the same thing after we took them to different rooms. I killed both of them as they were of no value to us anymore. We tricked pirates to attack. Torches were fired as signal for them. After two days, at night city guards opened doors for pirate ships to enter the port. Our squad was hiding for ships to dock. Vurm was going to attack one of ships alone while others were going to attack second one. As ships docked, everyone run and jumped to ships. They were fighting while according to Vurm¡¯s earlier decision I had to stay back. I was not going to watch. I stood opposite to ship which Vurm had jumped to. Katana over my head held by both hands, I was at jodan-no-kamae stance. I didn¡¯t have to meditate anymore. In last few months, I had learnt to draw out mana as naturally as moving my hand or leg. Huge amount of royal blue mana was flowing from my body into katana. As if vertically cutting the ship, I screamed ¡°Falcon¡¯s Beak¡±. Huge wave of wind infused and created by mana hit the ship and cracked it into two. It began to sink while Vurm fall into water with other pirates. Comrades on other ship had already killed everyone and were laughing at Vurm who was trying his best not to drown. He came up to shore and scream at me ¡°I told you to stay back!¡±. ¡°Vurm I was not on ship¡± I replied which made him go literally crazy. Hitting his own head, he went away... P.S: If you see any grammar or spelling mistakes, let me know! Next: 12 - Spirit Rose 12 - Spirit Rose ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 12 ¨C Spirit Rose! Kain¡¯s POV Early March. 4030. Bazell Coast. Moon-lit Bay. Territories of Cohen House. Governor of Daon came to visit us with his family on our departure. He congratulated Vurm on helping to kill and capture pirates. Although Vurm did not even take medal that governor wanted to bestow upon him. It¡¯s been 3 months that we have left island city of Daon. Our ship was sailing in waters of Moon-lit Bay which was the last biggest bay on northern side of Cohen territories. I was standing on board watching horizon when I saw land far away. ¡°Bazell Coast¡± Vurm murmured and I was startled as I didn¡¯t notice him standing behind me. ¡°Another day?¡± I asked. ¡°More or less¡± Vurm replied. ¡°There is someone you have to meet there!¡± he told to me. ¡°Destrian never told me!?¡± I was puzzled. ¡°No kid, its my idea. You have to meet him no matter what.¡± Vurm said calmly. Next day, earlier in the morning we arrived at port in City of Vin. First time in my life I had seen so much ships and galleys docked on port. Port of Vin was territory-wise as big as Daon. There were group of officials who were standing in line waiting for us. Vurm swiftly sent them away with sweet words, declining offer from Governor of Vin for dinner in his mansion. We didn¡¯t stay in Vin at all, rather rode horses on Bazell Coast. It took us more or less ten minutes of slow ride after we exited Vin to reach the place. Sea shore had a distinct bohemian feel to it. During our trip I saw few marine turtles which were heading towards the sea, most probably they had layed their eggs in the soft sands. There were banyan tree on forefront. Massive forest line was covering sea shore and beautiful humming of birds were attracting me more than usual. There were small galleys on shore covered in nets from top to bottom. I assume locals were using these to catch fish. Kicking on horse¡¯s belly I closed to Vurm and asked him where we were heading towards. He pointed to location using his right hand. Looking towards the direction a beach-shack restaurant sprang up on my view. Slowly we reached it. The Restaurant was on top of the hill. Downhill there were table and stools where customers were sitting and having meal and drinks. On both sides, restaurant was covered with walls made of bamboo sticks which had prevented me to identify it before. Getting off horses, Vurm told rest of squad to get a table and eat while we went towards a bench where a man was lying down. Bench was made of wood too. There were cushions of different color and sizes on it. A fat man of 150-160kgs was lying on top of cushions reading a book. Big umbrella was protecting him from lights of sun. ¡°This is Baba¡± Vurm said look at me. Fat man closed down book ¡°Long time, no see Vurm¡± grinned. ¡°How¡¯s life treating you Baba?¡± Vurm continued. ¡°Doing fine Vurmy.. Fine¡± Baba answered. ¡°What¡¯s your name kid?¡± Baba switched his gaze to me. ¡°I¡¯m Kain¡± I responded. ¡°Do you want to be my student?¡± Baba said. Instantly I turned to my right as noise of cracking came from there. There was a girl around my age. She was standing as if electroshock-ed. ¡°I, Elle, daughter of governor of Vin have to work as a slave for days and nights without sleep and rest.. But.. But... this..this.. But this nobody gets to be your student just like this?¡± she spoke. I saw few broken saucers and glasses mixed together on top of beach sand. ¡°Damn you!¡± she screamed at me. ¡°Me? What I have done to you?¡± I asked. Looking closely she was cute. White skin, dark blue eyes and black combed hair that were flowing up to waist gave her elegant aura. ¡°Elle, you are not fit to be my student yet¡± Baba talked ¡°Clean this place, and bring me another portion.¡± She angrily left away. ¡°Do you want to be my student?¡± Baba asked again. ¡°He is 5th level magician but more powerful than 8th level magicians that you will meet.¡± Vurm spoke looking at me. ¡°No, I¡¯m good¡± I replied. Baba was lying on bench, after a moment his body began to float on air and moved close to me. Without moving a muscle, floating on air still he again asked ¡°Today is my birthday and you broke my heart, Kain¡±. Vurm laughed out loud at his words. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you, do you like alcoholic drinks?¡± I questioned Baba ¡°Yep, depends on!¡±. Elle came back again. ¡°Can you show me to kitchen, please?¡± I looked at Elle. ¡°NO!¡± she replied though Baba commanded her to show me around. We came into kitchen and I asked for different alcoholic drinks. Most importantly they didn¡¯t have vodka or did not know what it is which shocked me. I began to smell alcoholic bottles one by one and excluded whiskey, rum, cacha?a and cognac¡¯s. Using a small cup I tasted few others and one of them felt like vodka. I asked for its name and was told it is called ¡°Spirit Rose¡±. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Fresh mint, apple juice, few ice cubes and half a liter of Spirit Rose were brought to me in matter of minutes. I put three glasses on table and saw Elle watching me in awe. Firstly, I added 4 pieces of ice cube into each glass and later on added mint leaves into each of them. Rest of glass was filled with spirit rose and apple juice. I asked Elle to help me out and she grabbed to glasses and we went outside to see Vurm and Baba chatting. Elle gave one glass to Baba and other one to Vurm. I moved my arm towards air and said ¡°Cheers¡±. It had been long time since I had alcohol. Gulping down until the last drop, I enjoyed my cocktail. ¡°Where did you learn it?¡± Vurm asked. ¡°Secret!¡± I told. ------ Cyrus Lyth¡¯s POV Early April. 4030. Monarch Academy. Battle Arena ¡°Dear headmaster, teachers, students and guests. I welcome you to yearly tournaments first quarter-final match. We have seen very exquisite matches until now. I guarantee you this one will not be any less fun than others... I welcome Cyrus Lyth to south point as first contestant.. He has shown great potential in the tournament but this match shall be a great test to him..¡± MC stopped to take his breathe while I was going to south point. Applauses, claps and shouts were cheering me more than anything else. I was getting excited and aroused as I heard people shouting to support me ¡°Now, I welcome Karan Iltsin to north point. Karan has been formidable throughout the tournament showing excellent results¡±. I watched Karan walking towards north point. It was first time ever him and me facing each other in tournament. First and second year of studies, unfortunately neither him nor I were ready to get into competition. But this year, I¡¯m facing him and I will prove to whole world that I am better than Karan Iltsin. I will be the king, no matter what! ¡°Silence! Silence! As both contestants are standing on north and south points consecutively, in short I¡¯ll be counting down from 10 to 1. Before beginning the match let me remind you both that anyone acting to kill the other shall be punished by death!¡± MC announced. Both of us nodded in understanding. ¡°10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Begin!¡± MC screamed. I, Cyrus Lyth, have waited for a moment like this for more than 2 years. It¡¯s a chance given by Gods. Today I will know, who has favor of Gods. Karan was standing still as if I didn''t exist at all. I began to move towards him. I took out an arrow and put it into bow. Pulling bow¡¯s string, I shot first arrow then next and next until I finished all fifteen of them. Karan was dodging them perfectly but he didn¡¯t know that I was shooting arrow¡¯s so that to get him into the position and location that was suitable for me to finish him off for once and all. I was chanting ¡°Dark Mists¡± spell in old language, while shooting arrows, for it be much more effective than usual. As soon as I was finished with arrows, Karan was already some 30-35 meters away from me. I chanted ¡°Vision of Gods¡± to see in fog, unsheathed my sword and run towards him. As distance between us closed, I saw Karan¡¯s mouth opening and closing. In that moment I understood that I have to be a bit faster to reach to him before he casts a spell. Less than 15 meters were left when Karan screamed ¡°Prison of Gods¡±. Long walls popped up from the ground going up to 30 meters in height. I stopped to change my plan when I saw few bricks getting lose from wall and Karan looking towards me grinning. ¡°How could he see me?¡± passed my mind. ¡°Earth, damn him. He knows my location through earth.. ¡±. I saw him shooting an arrow at me, without losing another second I somersaulted and changed my direction. ¡°He knows just one spell!¡± I murmured to myself. ¡°Void, Dark Mists!¡±, ¡°Void, Vision of Gods!¡± I chanted and began to run around the wall protecting Karan. He was 2nd level magician so his wall barrier was not perfect yet. I began to diffuse my mana to my sword and as mists cleared I changed my direction for second time and ran towards the wall. When I was few meters away from him, I went for vertical cut and shouted ¡°Wolf¡¯s Fangs!¡±. Mana erupted from my sword in form of two fangs and striked walls. Bringing them down in one hit, I jumped inside the wall barrier and caught Karan. I brought my sword upto his neck and said ¡°You lose, Karan!¡± P.S : I would love to hear your thoughts about Red Eyes, either in comments section or by PM''ing me Next: 13 - Hurricane 13 - Hurricane ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 3 ¨C Hurricane Kain¡¯s POV Early March. 4030. Bazell Coast. Territories of Cohen House. That day I prepared Apple Mojito twice more. Baba did enjoy my recipe. ¡°Jimmy will stay here for three months and I want you to stay here to study under Baba¡± Vurm insisted. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to teach you much, although I will explain you basics and any other spell that you will learn in the future will be based on what I will teach you¡± Baba added. I changed my mind to stay while Vurm will head up to north with rest of the squad. In three months, Jimmy and I will depart to southwest to meet with squad. Most of the waiters and waitresses in Baba¡¯s shack-restaurant were kids from wealth families of Vin and other nearby cities. Their parents had sent them to learn magic from Baba. Elle was one of these student-workers who had to literally work hard to learn magic. I could see hatred in their eyes towards me, as Baba was tutoring me personally. ¡°I¡¯m not affiliated with fire but same as you I can use wind magic. Before I get to teach you magic, I want you to never talk about your fire and wind affiliation in front of anybody. Do not forget, people like you are rare¡± Baba told me calmly. He began to float and move on air going towards the rocks on other side of beach and I followed him. ¡°First of all, main difference between a magician and warrior is that warriors are more inclined to martial arts while magicians stick to complicated spells and chants. Nevertheless, even at an old age, a warrior may learn chants and spells of a magician but it will be hard for a magus to train in martial arts.¡± Baba said. ¡°I want to learn both spells and martial arts¡± I questioned him. ¡°Kain, its hard to carry two watermelons in one hand. But if you insist on learning both, then you are going to walk on a hard road. I recommend you to choose one of them as your chances of success will increase doublefold.¡± Baba stopped for a moment ¡°By the way, what did you say was the name of that drink?¡±. ¡°Apple Mojito!¡± I answered. ¡°Ok, its almost 10 kilometers from my restaurant to here. Sit over this rock and begin to meditate. It does not matter whether you are affiliated with fire or wind. What you seek for is mana. Its everywhere. Try to feel it¡± Baba told me. He asked me to form lotus position and sit properly. We were standing by a massive rock, which was as tall as a big hill. Waters of sea has weathered bottom parts of it breaking into many small rocks size of an elephant or rhino in comparison to the original. ¡°Do not forget, try to feel the essence of universe.¡± Baba said for last time and left back floating on air. ¡°He flies to everywhere, lazy man. That¡¯s why he is fat¡± passed through my mind. I closed my mind and tried to concentrate. For few hours I had problems focusing as many things that had happened in past life and problems that I would be facing in this life did not leave me alone. I knew that I have to reduce thoughts and feelings of desirous attachment or else I would fail. I stood up. Sun was almost setting down. For the last time, I sat down and crossed my legs. Palms upward, I placed my right hand on top of left. Thumbs were touching each other gently. Straightening my spine, I closed my eyes to meditate. Slowly breathing in and out I lost myself to sounds of waves and noise of wind. It felt cold at first but feelings such as cold and hot vanished. I had never known what peace is. For first time ever I clutched feeling of peace. It was as if a beautiful girl caressing me, running her hands over my body. Tinglish sensation squeezed me into nothingness. Wherever I was I didn¡¯t have physical body, without understanding nature of my existence in this plane, but my consciousness was here. A single spark occurred out of naught resulting in a small flame. Watching closely, fire was made out of dark red particles of mana. It was flame but at the same time it was not. Instantly, blue wind began to circle around burning flame. Same as fire, it seemed as wind but was made out of royal blue particles of mana. Stolen story; please report. Wind was creating shape of a ball, in three dimensions, and flame was burning in center of it. They were in balance, supporting each other, creating one single entity. ¡°Its enough for today, time to eat¡± I said to myself. Slowly I came back to myself. I opened my eyes to see Baba floating near me chewing toothpick in his mouth. ¡°I hope you know how to swim!¡± he said. ¡°Why?¡± I asked. Using his eyes, he showed downwards. I bent my head to look down and saw that both of us were floating on air over sea. I panicked and fell down to sea. Splash! Submerging down to depth of sea, using last of my strength I swam towards up. As soon as I reach top of water, I felt weak. I turned my head towards seashore and layed flat on back not to drown. Baba flew towards me and grabbed from neck of my shirt. He continued to fly to beach dragging me. Thank God, he was helping me out or else I would have died. I lie down on warm sands as soon as we reached shore. I was breathing heavily. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡± I said spurting water out of my mouth. ¡°It¡¯s been 20 days, so you should be hungry¡± Baba told me smiling. ¡°Really?¡± I asked. ¡°Congratulations on breaking to 2nd level¡± Baba replied. ¡°Normally it takes years for most to reach it!¡± ¡°Jimmy, glad you came. Help him to restaurant..¡± Baba said. Sun was still shining bright in sky. I ate a lot, while Elle was angrily looking at me while serving food to Baba, Jimmy and me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± I looked at Baba. ¡°She lacks temperance¡± Baba said with a glass of apple mojito in his hand. Mid April. 4030. Bazell Coast. Territories of Cohen House. ¡°Do not force yourself. Open your hand and focus your wind affiliated mana into your palm¡± Baba explained. Royal blue colored dots began to appear and float on my palm. ¡°Let go of them, and listen to me carefully¡± Baba continued. ¡°Wind Shield is the name of protective spell that I¡¯ll help you out with. Once this spell is cast, you will be surrounded by fast winds swirling around your body. Ranged weapon attacks and spells casted by lower level magicians or warriors will be deflected by Wind Shield, although mages and warriors of higher rank will be able to break through it¡± Baba informed. ¡°Moreover it¡¯s an off-the-shelf spell, so you shall be able to improve it and as your rank increases its speed and power will increase too¡± he stopped and gave me papyrus. ¡°Technical details of spell are written in here. Read, learn and practice!¡± Few days later¡­ I was sitting on beach, a kilometer or two away from Baba¡¯s restaurant, watching dolphins that were hopping from wave to wave. Chanting a spell was much more different in practice than using mana to materialize it through a weapon. At least from my perspective it felt so. Simple wind shield spell was three paragraphs long, I had to chant it word by word each and every time to activate it. I had to find a shortcut but did not know how. In an instant, my body was covered in sand dust. Covering my face with my left hand I peeked through gaps in between fingers to see Elle surrounded by winds. ¡°Void, Wind Shield¡± she said and winds dispersed. I shook my head right and left for sand to fall off my hair. ¡°Chant the spell while meditating and bind it to a simple name such as ¡®Wind Shield¡¯, that way when you want to activate it ¨C calling out its name shall be enough!¡± she looked at me and continued ¡°Don¡¯t close your eyes fully when you meditate or you will end up in sun¡±. She left after giving me hints. ¡°Thank you¡± I screamed although she didn¡¯t even turn to look at me. I sat in lotus position. This time half-closed my eyes, focusing them on point where thumb fingers were touching each other. As I entered half-trance state, I began to chant wind shield spell. A spiral of fast winds began to rise from ground to reach almost ten meters in height. Staying inside it, at epicenter, I felt no threat but turned back to see branches of a banyan tree were bending away from me because of wind shield¡¯s power. ¡°Hurricane¡± was the word that came to my mind and that was how I named my wind shield. P.S : Write to me in comments or PM me about weak sides of my story telling. Kthx:) Next: 14 - Blizzard 14 - Blizzard ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* Kain¡¯s POV Mid May. 4030. Bazell Coast. Territories of Cohen House. ¡°So you named it Hurricane?¡±, Baba smiled at me and continued ¡°This spell is called Blizzard. It¡¯s not a basic spell like wind shield so you will not be able to change its name or structure as you improve. Although according to your level it will change in size and effect. If¡±. He stopped and his eyes met mine ¡°If.. If you can master it¡±. ¡°What you mean if you can master it? Don¡¯t I have to chant words to activate the spell?¡± I asked Baba. ¡°No, its not simply about chanting. It¡¯s about understanding. Saying something does not mean that you understand it. I¡¯m not able to activate it either. Moreover its an artifact level spell but without any specific instructions regarding its activation. I¡¯ve given the copy of spell to many people but haven¡¯t seen one person able to activate it..¡± Baba explained. ¡°In theory it¡¯s impossible. What you are saying should not be possible. I had read many times over and was told before that mana capacity does not increase nor decrease. Likewise if I¡¯m affiliated with wind type mana I should be able to activate Blizzard after chanting because¡± I stopped in confusion. Thinking thoroughly something was wrong. It didn¡¯t add up. ¡°Logically there are two possible answers. First is requirements to activate Blizzard spell are not on original scroll¡±, I said. ¡°I have it kept in a secret location, but I assure you there are no requirements¡±, Baba replied. ¡°Then... Then the system is¡±, I was in shock and confusion. ¡°is rigged¡±, Baba said before I could finish. ¡°But who and why?¡± I asked. ¡°I do not know either, its just the way it is. We have been bestowed with limited knowledge. It is as if someone or group of people are hiding the knowledge from humanity. Magician¡¯s possible advancement to godly level is hindered¡±, Baba replied. ¡°Conspiracy?¡± I continued. ¡°Listen, you are already on second level. Amplification of wind shield spell that you cast is much more effective in range and in power in comparison to others with same rank.. Only explanation to this matter in your case, and in example of others is that your ¡®understanding¡¯ and usage of mana is better than others.. Books tell us that as our levels increase we purify our skills which is not wrong, but it does not say that we can expand our capacity. Knowledge is restricted¡±, he told in thrill. I wanted to believe in him. However, one example was not enough to support his claim. Logically he was right, although in reality I needed more than one case to refer to. ¡°Any other person you have met who is different?¡± I questioned Baba. ¡°Yes, me.. I am of 5th rank but able to fight on similar terms with an 8th rank magician. In theory it is impossible, but in reality I can.. I¡¯m not a vivid book reader, that¡¯s why my theoretical knowledge is limited.. All I¡¯m telling you about is what I have absorbed into knowledge through usage of magic.¡±, he answered. He left me near rocks with papyrus scroll and flied back to restaurant. For a while, I sat motionless thinking about our conversation with Baba, but as person of limited knowledge I didn¡¯t know what to believe in. To disregard Baba¡¯s ideas and clean my mind I jumped into sea. I swam for a while and left sea to sunbath. In matter of hour or more sun would be changing its place with moon. Watching sky I saw clouds floating from north to south-east. I grabbed scroll and sat on ground. Memorizing contents of scroll, I began to meditate. My eyes were half-closed and my focus was on tips of my thumbs. Feeling circulation of royal blue colored mana around me, I began to chant spell. After third try, I got it pronounced perfect and shouted ¡°Blizzard¡±. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Sun was almost gone, although last rays of it were lighting up the darkness. I felt massive amount of mana drawn out of me and diffusing into air. Cold northern winds began to blow momentarily. I stood up to face them. Clouds were coming together in diameter of 30 meters around me. I raised my right hand to catch first fallen snowflake. In an instant, wild winds blew bringing down lots of snow. I could see clearly, but I assume anybody standing on other side or inside the blizzard would have trouble with vision. ¡°Void, Blizzard¡± I said, and last level of snow fell to top off around 5 cms of snow that laid on sand. I bended to touch snow when I heard sounds coming from left. I turned to see Baba smiling and clapping in astonishment. ¡°Kain, royal blue mana that materializes is mix of wind and water elements. Normally wind should be colored sky blue and water affiliated mana should be colored dark blue.. Blizzard was activated because of your specific mana, but I still stick to my initial view that there are many hidden things which are not open to public..¡± Baba said. Same night... ¡°It felt cold... I hadn¡¯t felt so cold in long time.. You know it never snows in here, its always sunny.. At most it rains for a few days in row..¡± Baba said. Experiences from previous life had given me enough insight to see through people. I felt innocence in his eyes and words. Words that came from Baba¡¯s mouth originated in his heart. ¡°Baba I¡¯m lacking extensive knowledge about magic but in three years I¡¯ll be attending Monarch Academy.. I promise you to research this matter that you talk about in libraries of Astoria and Monarch Academy where mysteries of magic is hidden..¡± ¡°Baba, tomorrow I¡¯ll be leaving with Jimmy. It was a great experience to meet you and learn from you. Hopefully, our destinies are intersected and we may have another chance to meet in future.. Thank you for everything. I have proposal to you which I¡¯ll present tomorrow before we leave¡± I said and left to sleep. There were two stallions waiting for us near the restaurant. Jimmy was going to ride black one, while brown colored was left to me. I was on horse ready to leave when I saw Baba coming towards us. I remembered about my promise, so I took out paper from my backpack. ¡°Your restaurant is not named so I thought a lot and came up with this..¡± I said and gave him the paper. On paper there was drawn a fat man who was exact copy of Baba in lying position, his head supported by his left arm. Under his body was written ¨C ¡°Laughing Buddha¡±. Late June. 4030. Territories of Cohen House Jimmy had done this trip once before so he knew how to reach Vurm and his squad. It took us a bit more than month to reach our squad. Alpine Cypress Groove covers most of land in Cohen territories. Local population gave different names to forest although looking from a map it was one large massive body of forests coming together. I had celebrated my 9th birthday away from my family in Bazell Coast. Another three years, and if Riley Cohen stays true to his word I¡¯ll be able to attend Monarch Academy. Enrolling there I could get my hands on books that will help me to understand this world much more better and come to a decision about my family¡¯s fate. I was involved with Riley Cohen and Destrian¡¯s squad without aiming to be where I am now. Actually if I controlled my desires and didn¡¯t checked out the book in Riley¡¯s library, no one would notice my existence at all. I was not careful back in library. A mistake from my side. Nevertheless, what has been done is done. p.s: sorry for late release.. p.p.s: next chapter on, action will start Next: 15 - Lichen 15 - Lichen ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 15 ¨C Lichen Late June. 4030. Territories of Cohen House It is 9 years that I¡¯ve been born in this world. Despite the fact, this trip is my first introduction to territories under Cohen House¡¯s rule. For 7 years, my world consisted of Howe village, Sapphire Depth lake, Cohen Mansion and barracks near manor. I do not think I¡¯ll stay in a big city for a long time to see city-life and its customs. Nevertheless, through my life up to this point I saw that this world has medieval era lifestyle. As people are relying on magic, technology is not advanced. Farming has greater influence in economic life of Cohen territories in comparison to accounting, finance, or any other service sector businesses. Howe village and permanent inhabitants of it are owned by Cohen House, so I reckon slavery exists in this world. Jimmy had told me that Cohen family has given exclusive permission and rights to few families who are close to them to mine or import valuable metals such as gold, silver and iron to Cohen territories. Monopoly does not exist in other areas of commerce. Safety within Cohen territories is of utmost importance so local police forces are kept almost at every big and small city, village or town. Size and force of policemen and army men differs from place to place but they still are effective enough to make sure that trade within Cohen territories is not terrorized by rogue bands. International guilds operate within Cohen territories. They are Merchant Guild, Adventurers Guild and Magus Guild. Differing from first two guilds, Magus Guild is kind of a social structure where members of this guild pay yearly fees to subscribe to it. Magus Guild to an outsider like me looks like a continent-wide social network of rich and wealthy magicians. They held yearly continent-wide events and local events quarterly where members meet and discuss state of magic, information about spells and so on. Most of revenues that local lords and land owners originated from Merchant Guild and farmers. The system allowed the lords and owners of the land to tax the people and their trades. As trade increased in the area the taxes became excessive. A single person had no chance of making any objections to the rate and amount of tax that the lord demanded. That was the main reason for an institution like Merchant Guild emerged. Merchant Guild was able to negotiate with the lord and the trade levy became regulated. The regulations agreed between the Merchant Guild and the lord resulted in a Merchant Guild charter. The Merchant Guild charter allowed the merchants to pay an annual payment, or fixed sum, to the lord who owned the land where the town was based. Adventurers Guild came into existence as traders and merchants needed people to protect them and their products during their trips from bandits and monsters. I didn¡¯t get much information about this guild as it was not of much interest to me. With a background like mine, my new life was socially interactive, mentally challenging and strategically compelling. I was thinking about stuff like previously mentioned when I hear Jimmy shouting ¡°Kain, Kain¡±. I was lying down so I turned to face him. ¡°Stop daydreaming.. Get up, its time to get on horses. Another hour of ride and we will meet with Vurm and rest of squad¡±, he said. I nodded in agreement and stood up. Jimmy called rider of carriage to stop so that we can unbind stallions and leave. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. A day ago we met Malik who was traveling to his home village and was going to pass by our destination. So we asked him to sleep on his carriage while stallions walked behind it. After an hour and half we reached Llyne village. Our squad had already reached Llyne before us. It was nice to see Vurm and rest. I showed off by using ¡°Hurricane¡± in front of them after being asked to display what Baba had taught me. Their travel has been pretty peaceful with almost no problems at all. Our next destination was going to be town of Lunaris. We decided to stay overnight at Llyne and travel to Lunaris next day. It took us almost a week to reach Lunaris. Located few kilometers away from Alpine Cypress Groove, town of Lunaris was built by river Ana which was streaming from all the way from mountains through Alpine Groove. Town itself looks elegant. Lunaris has an improving economy, which is mainly supported by crafting and fishing. But their biggest strengths are elaborate blacksmithing and wood mining. In future, Lunaris may become a big city but that is for time to decide. Most intriguing thing about Lunaris was that it was a hotspot for magicians who were traveling into Alpine Cypress Groove to hunt magical beasts and monsters. Meat of beasts and monsters were tasty and had medicinal effect on human body. As a result, price for beast meat was valued highly. However, it was not the main reason why magicians were hunting magical beasts. Magical beasts had magical cores of their own which could be extracted upon killing. Those magical cores had very high value. They were used in wands and weapons to amplify power and force of attack. Moreover wealthy and rich people could afford necklaces, rings and bracelets made out of magical cores of beasts. Likewise they could be used as an investment, because their value didn¡¯t depreciate much and in future could skyrocket if magical core was of the beast that rare. Actually, my sword had broken 3 times already. Main reason being iron couldn¡¯t handle magical power coming from me and weapon destructing itself after the attack. 5 days after our arrival in Lunaris... I had finished sparring with Jimmy. Members of squad were talking to us about flaws that showed up during the spar. We were close to western exit of town which was facing Alphine Cypress Groove. Soldier on duty were watching us too when a man screaming in horror blasted off from forest. Vurm was first to react. He run towards person who was screaming in agony lying on ground. Jimmy and I were the last to reach the man. I noticed that his right arm was chopped off, although there were bleeding at all. ¡°It¡¯s coming! It¡¯s coming!¡± man was shouting ¡°HELP! RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!¡±. ¡°What has happened?¡± Vurm asked. ¡°We departed two weeks ago.. We were going to hunt for a beast of 3rd rank..Any beast.. 14 people in total.. 3 mages of 3rd rank and rest warriors or 2nd and 3rd rank..¡± man stopped to breathe. ¡°Water, water please¡± he asked and Vurm dripped drops of water onto his mouth. ¡°Our scout came to inform us that near a small lake within forest he has seen a 3rd rank snake.. He didn¡¯t know what it was so we all went there to see for ourselves...¡± he stopped again. ¡°What was it?¡± Vurm asked while everyone was silently watching. ¡°4th rank Basilisk..¡± he muttered. ¡°Basilisk? Impossible!¡± Valery shouted. ¡°Not just basilisk.. A Lichen was sitting by its side¡± man said and closed his eyes for eternity..¡±Lichen?¡± I looked at Jimmy. ¡°Its impossible! No Lichen has been seen in last millennia! It¡¯s a myth told by grannies to scare kids!¡± Valery spoke looking at Vurm. P.S: :D Next: 16 - Agony 16 - Agony ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 16 ¨C Agony ¡°We are leaving now! Formation 2, Kain you stay inside circle!¡± Vurm said. We dispatched instantly without losing another moment. One of the foot soldiers that was on post, who knew area well enough, came with us as guide. Supposedly lake was more or less 10 kilometers within the forest. I was standing in middle, while Vurm was leading the group from front. He was the only 7th rank warrior in our squad. After him came Valery, who was 6th rank warrior. Rest was 4th and 5th rank warriors. Jimmy and Muramir, excluding me, were only magicians present in squad. Muramir was a healer with lots of experience, while Jimmy was a newbie in comparison to rest. Alpine Cypress Groove¡¯s reputation was not betraying its name. After first 100 meters of walk, my vision got dimmed; rays of sun were barely escaping through leaves of trees to light the path. Outer part of forest bordering Lunaris consisted of massive oak tree. Although after passing them natural habitat changed drastically. ¡°Jungle¡± I whispered under my lips. Vines slithered down from tall trees like snakes, seeking the pool of tepid water below. I heard few of warriors who were besides Vurm, including him, using some kind of spell called ¡°Vision of Gods¡±. We had walked nonstop for few hours. The sounds of jungle began to ebb more as nightfall descended. Growls, grunts, hisses and shrieks of different animals were lost as night fell upon this part of world. I could hear heavy breathing of warriors around me. Size of my body was smaller in comparison to rest of squad. I was able to move easier than others. Branches were crackling as body of warriors hit the small tree while passing through. I almost had a heart attack when cold water ran over my boots as I passed a small creak. For a moment, I though a snake bit me. As darkness covered everything, Muramir cast a spell that lighted 10 meters around us, clearing our vision. I look at him with astonishment, and smiling he said to me ¡°Do not worry, animals such as snakes, rats, bugs and lizards will stay away from us¡±. Most probably we had walked more than 4 kilometers when Vurm hand gestured to stop. He talked with foot soldier and nodding to him we began to walk again. After half an hour of walk, we exited jungle going back to normal forest conditions again. Location of tree from each other was long enough for us to walk easily, additionally increasing our agility in case of face off with Basilisk and Lichen. Nevertheless we camped overnight to sleep and rest. Two of us were guarding rest at all times during the night. I was selected to protect the squad member in same shift with Valery. Sleeping pumped up and cleared my mind. We left towards the lake before the sunrise. It took us another 7 hours of walk until we reached our destination. Looking straight I could see part of lake on left, although on right there was big rocks on top of each other. ¡°Kain, you climb the rock and watch. Today your job will be to scout for us. Just tell us if there is anything near the lake. Even if there is and we battle it, stay out of it..¡±, he said. I saw determined eyes of my comrades looking at me. I walked towards the rock, trying not step on fallen branches. It took me around 15-20 minutes to reach the top. There was enough space for me to hide at top. Raising my head slowly over the rock in front of me, I stopped at distance where my eyes could see all around the lake. Sun was shining brightly and water of lake was reflecting it lights. After walking in dark environment for long, it took me few minutes for my eyes to adjust to natural light. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Because of the wind, emerging waves were lapping over the shoreline. Skimming through the shore, first thing that caught my attention was a person fully covered matte black armor from head to toe. His butt resting on rock, both arms were raised up in air. Hands touching each other, he was sitting motionless. Armor was not reflecting sunlight so detecting him was easy. Although I didn¡¯t see his body, face or hands. It was more like a sitting statue. As I was turning back to sign to Vurm; unintentionally and luckily I saw the monster swimming in lake. It was a serpent with body of snake and head of a dragon. It was around 3-4 meters long. It dived into deep. I turned back towards Vurm and with my right hand using middle and index finger I made sign of number two. With my left hands index finger I showed them number one. I used my right arm to imitate a snake¡¯s crawling. Vurm nodded. Later on, using both hands I clapped together and put in front of my face and closed my eyes for a moment. Opening my eyes, I saw him nodding again. Vurm made some hand gestures, and everyone began to scatter around the lake hiding behind the trees. Last one to depart was Jimmy. I turned back to watch armored person. To my surprise he had disappeared. I tried to let Vurm and rest now about it but it was too late. ¡°Argh¡±, screams of agony came from left. I looked at direction from where noise was coming. Jimmy¡¯s body was cut in half. Blood was spurting out of his body. Lichen was standing behind Jimmy¡¯s body. It kicked bottom part of Jimmy¡¯s body and it fell down. Matte black armor was covered in blood. In a blind of eye, it disappeared. Few more screams were heard meaning death of other comrades. ¡°Kain get down towards us!¡± Vurm shouted. Because of adrenaline rush, I do not remember how I got down so fast but in matter of minute or less I was running towards Vurm and squad. They were standing close to each other on shore. ¡°It¡¯s too fast¡± I screamed as soon as I reached them. They were not focusing on me. I got into middle and began to look at lake. None of them realized but slowly basilisk was swimming towards us. Including me, seven of us were left. I had been in life and death situations before so I was accustomed to it. But this time fear had struck me. It took me second to realize danger swimming towards us. I concentrated for a moment and whispered ¡°Blizzard¡±. Instantly, combined with cold, biting wind a flurry of snowflakes poured down obscuring the surroundings. Muramir chanted something; on top of others and me a small light circle appeared helping rest of squad not to freeze. After two minutes of idling, I whispered ¡°Void, Blizzard¡±. Snowstorm stopped and our vision cleared. Top part of basilisk body was frozen standing in front of us. Most probably it had tried to use blizzard as a chance to attack us but got frozen within water. Striking his sword in basilisk¡¯s direction, Vurm screamed ¡°Strike of Six Streams¡±. Arrows made out of water came out from tip of his sword one by one in fast manner and hit the basilisk. After third strike, its body broke down to pieces. Chunks of basilisk¡¯s broken body fall down to frozen water on top of lake. ¡°Ar-r-r-r-gh¡± sounds of painful scream came from other side of the lake. Lichen was holding his massive black colored sword in his hand, screaming in agony. P.S: double release today Next: 17 - Race against time! 17 - Race against time ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 17 ¨C Race against time Fear. That¡¯s what I sensed from the other 6 men that were surrounding me. I¡¯m 9 years old, and its my 10th year in this world. I don¡¯t want it to end like this. Do I have to curse my fate? ¡°We scram now!¡± Vurm whispered under his lips. ¡°Where?¡± someone asked from behind. ¡°To west, if we run back to Lunaris, it will catch up to us in jungle.. West is the only reasonable choice..¡± Vurm said in panic. In a blink of eye, Vurm grabbed from neck of my shirt and everyone began to run. Lichen¡¯s screams were echoing in air as we were running. After few hours of run, all of them took out small bottles and drank them. I didn¡¯t ask for details but I assume they were health potions which were used to rejuvenate their body conditions. Just as sun was setting down, group stopped running. Vurm asked Muramir to activate a spell which would identify dangerous creatures that could attack us at night time. ¡°We will take a rest in here! Try to sleep for few hours and we leave after everyone has good sleep¡± Vurm told. I was lucky to be carried by Vurm or else there was no chance for me to run as fast as them. Muramir confirmed that there was nothing around which could be identified as threat to us. Two of squad members caught wild rabbit and we ate them. All of us were hungry, thirsty and demotivated. Nobody expected to be involved with a monster from myths. Everyone clearly understood severity of situation. As we ate, I learnt that tomorrow we shall run straight up to afternoon and change our direction to north and run until evening. By that time we were going to reach city called Metropolis. All I understood is that it was a city well-known for gambling and prostitution. Few of the warriors were saying that they were planning to relieve their stress in red light district of Metropolis. Plan was that one person would stay awake while rest slept. I was first one to be on shift for 1 hour. Time passed very slowly. Sounds of wind slipping through leaves, crackling branches, wild animals¡¯ growling and hissing put lots of stress on my mind. I was watching right and left, turning back and forward almost every minute to analyze the environment for any possible movement. One hour passed but it felt like an eternity for a person who was as powerless as me. It was Muramir¡¯s turn now, so I woke him up and went to sleep. 6 hours. It was the amount of time, that I was going to sleep. Last one to stay on alert and be on guard was going to be Ahkel. He was a 4th rank warrior. I didn¡¯t have a good sleep. I was sleeping on ground which was filled with small rocks, which made my body uncomfortable. But that was not the reason for bad sleep. It was because of nightmare. It too real and I was startled by it. In my dream I saw Oscar and Leila getting killed by Lichen. It was using its black sword to chop them of to pieces and was looking at me intensely giving me goosebumps in sleep. I woke up to feel sweat covering all of my face. I was breathing heavily after understanding that all what I saw was part of dream. Sun was raising up from East and sun rays began to lighten up surroundings. I counted five people sleeping around me. In shock, I shook up Vurm. ¡°Ahkel is missing¡± I shouted. He woke up instantly. ¡°What?¡± he said. ¡°Ahkel.. Ahkel is missing..¡± I replied. He was meant to be last one to stay on alert but he was missing. Other woke up and Muramir in haste chanted some kind of spell. ¡°I can¡¯t sense his life-force 100 meters in diameter from us..¡± Muramir said. ¡°We shall go now!¡± Vurm said and they drank another bottle of small glass liquid. Because of emergency and stress, I didn¡¯t feel like eating anything at all. My appetite was lost yesterday when I saw Lichen and basilisk. Eating that rabbit meat was enough for me at least for a day or two. Vurm grabbed me again and squad members began to run again. We were trying to go in straight line as much as possible. Although sometimes trees were getting intensely close to each other at some points where we avoided to choose another path. After few hours of run, we faced most gruesome sight which others had seen in their lifetime. Ahkel¡¯s body was cut into pieces. His body from waist to shoulders was cut so perfectly as if a gardener had cut the extra branches and leaves to give perfect shape to tree. Anyway, Ahkel¡¯s body was lying on ground. His legs, which were again cut into many pieces, were lying in place of his arms. Around his waist, chunks of his arm were put together. Most disgusting part was that his head was lying where his penis used to be. At a sight like this everyone would go crazy and hopeless. But not me, ¡°Not me, motherfucker.. You can¡¯t scare me with my own methods¡± I whispered. I saw squad members getting demotivated at sight and some of them raising their voices to face the damned monster. It was time to get involved. ¡°That¡¯s what he wants! Lichen wants you guys to stress and feel powerless. Another 7-8 hours and this damned nightmare will end as soon as we reach Metropolis. Don¡¯t you see he can¡¯t fight all of you together so he tries to separate everyone to kill one by one.. That¡¯s his aim from minute one..¡± I said. ¡°Kid shut the fuck up.. You can¡¯t even run as fast as us.. Maybe we shall leave you behind to earn time¡± Braman said while heavily breathing. ¡°Fuck me! Fuck me!¡± I said in an insulting tone and continued ¡°I¡¯m not being the kid in here.. But you guys are! That damned monster is playing around with ya all! Don¡¯t you see that? I can¡¯t retaliate because I¡¯m too young and powerless but what about you all?¡±. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Sssh!¡± Vurm said towards me, fingers touching his lips. I heard few steps but I think I was late to detect. Vurm¡¯s sword was in his hand and I heard the voice of his sword touching metal surface. It was Lichen. Because of adrenaline rush, everything was in slow motion. It stepped back while Vurm¡¯s sword touched it¡¯s armored body. Red liquid looking like blood but much more watery in comparison to blood flew down through its armor. Front part of it¡¯s sword was covered in blood. I turned to see Muramir¡¯s head falling down first followed by his body. Backing away, Lichen jumped to a tree branch and then from one branch to another and got lost from our view. It all happened in matter of seconds, too fast for me to see what had happened at all. Everyone except Vurm was shock. He was able to react which meant Lichen was not faster or stronger than Vurm. ¡°We have a chance¡± passed my mind. ¡°Run¡± Vurm said and grabbed me. We were going in a path which no longer meant anything to them. I knew they had panicked and lost their reasoning. ¡°These fuckers are useless and I will die with these shitholes¡± I whispered in low tone while being carried by Vurm. After half an hour of non-stop running, two big branch of tree which were thrown from far away from front of us hit Braman and Augustus dropping them dead on spot. ¡°Fuck three of us left! We gotta kill it!¡± I whispered but I knew no proper way to kill it and I was useless in face-to-face fight with the monster. Vurm and other squad member stopped. He dropped me and took out his sword. Other member, whose name is long lost to me, unsheathed his sword too. I knew they have reached their mental barrier and were not going to run but face the Lichen. I took out my small katana. ¡°I can¡¯t go down without giving a proper fight¡± I said and laughed. ¡°Not in here!¡± Vurm said... ¡°We need an open place to face it!¡± Vurm said and moved towards place from where sound of waterfall was coming. We walked slowly checking out surroundings for any movement. We reached out part of forest after 5 minutes of walking which seemed like lifetime. Water was streaming down from waterfall raising high pitch sound that disabled our hearing of surroundings. There was a small lake which was made up of water, and few streams which had emerged from it were going into deep part of forest. There was enough open space but because of noise, I think it was a bad choice of ground. Vurm and other fella were standing in front of me with huge swords in their hands. Lichen walked out of woods and began to move towards us slowly. It was walking in a manner as if he had won, the only thing was left was to kill. I was determined, but without power nothing mattered. Other squad member attacked in panic and was sliced down as if a chef was cutting cucumber into slices. Perfect kill. My legs were trembling but I tried my best not to show fear in my face. ¡°If I had power¡± was only thing which I was thinking of. It attacked first, using its sword to try to cut vertically. Vurm dodged to left and went for horizontal cut but Lichen in a fast move cut Vurm¡¯s right leg from his knee. He dropped down in agony, screaming out loud. While dropping for last time Vurm tried to cut Lichen but it used it left hand to grab his sword and take it away from him. In another slash, Lichen cut Vurm¡¯s left leg. Only thing what Vurm was able to do was to crawl in despair. It turned towards me. ¡°He had left Vurm alive to see me killed first¡± I thought. I was walking backwards without checking ground with katana in my hand. Slowly but surely he was walking to me. I could hear and feel drops of water from waterfall touching my head. I placed katana on top of my hand, grabbing it with my both and concentrated mana into it. ¡°Falcon¡¯s Beak¡± I shouted and went for vertical cut. Lichen moved instantly and its sword slashed with mine on air. My katana broke in two, upper part flying somewhere out of my vision. I felt some kind of black aura coming out of Lichen¡¯s sword. My attack was useless but I didn¡¯t lose hope at all. I threw katana towards him and still walked backwards. ¡°Useless katana, it was not the first and will not be the last one to break after I use it¡± came to my mind. It was gaining on me when my foot slipped on watery rocks and I fall into waterfall. Cold water splashing on me, I couldn¡¯t breathe for a moment. Although unimaginable to me, my body hit the rock on bottom of waterfall and bended down into a cave inside which was protected by waters streaming down. I fall down but fortunately entrance was less than a meter in height so I didn¡¯t get any injuries. ¡°God¡¯s still favoring me!¡± I said and saw two half-open rocky doors. I turned to see Lichen coming through the stream so I ran into the space half-open doors that lead to. Entering I saw big pillars supporting a temple like place. Torches that were placed on pillars were lighting inside the structure that was carved within the rock. I saw a mummy of a person in a sitting position as if praying to something. Foul smell was everywhere because of it. Another thing which got my interest was a katana on top of a square rock in front of mummy. I ran towards the mummy of person and passed it. Grabbing katana, I was mesmerized by it. It didn¡¯t feel like ordinary katana as there were different carving on each side of blade giving a different aura to it. Moreover there were two blood red crystals on each side of its hilt. ¡°Tak, Tak, Tak¡±, I heard foot steps. Lichen was inside the temple looking at me. Next: 18 - Mystery 18 - Mystery ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 18 ¨C Mystery I poured mana onto sword. To my surprise instead of royal blue, dark red mana began to flow out of my body and merge into red crystals. I was told to forget about using fire affiliated mana for a while because my body was not capable to handle it yet, and that is why I have avoided doing so. But this time it was different. It was life-and-death situation; plus I didn¡¯t have much time to go deep enough to know why red mana flowed out instead of royal blue which I intended to use. All my muscles had tensed up, including face and stomach. Sounds of Lichen¡¯s footsteps were pressuring me more into despair. There was an intense pain in my chest, followed by heart beats that made me feel powerless more and more. Speed of blood shooting through my veins because of fastened heart beats was anormal. There was around 20 meters of distance between us when it stopped moving. Lichen raised its right arm a bit and black sword appeared in his hand. I met his gaze, and wish I hadn¡¯t. Thinking about it, I had never seen his face. It was covered with a helmet which was part of his armored body. There was no spare room for nose or eyes. Although there was a blank space in place where his eyes were. I could distinguish that space because of fire torches lighting the temple which we were in. That part of his helmet was not matte colored, and there were two sinister eyes looking at me. Dignified eyes that were visible in darkness. There were no eye pupils or any other specific organ which normal eyes had. It was more like projection of energy. They were colored white with bluish tones that gave mysterious and evilish aura to them. Moreover, it felt very light as if I was holding a bird feather. I felt unnatural heat raising in my right palm. Red crystal was absorbing dark red mana in fast pace. I didn¡¯t know what was happening. I didn¡¯t care anyway. ¡°If I¡¯m going to die today, even if the whole world comes to help me ¨C I will die anyway. If I¡¯m going to live though, then even if the whole world comes to kill me ¨C I will live¡± I mused to myself. There was no way that I¡¯ll submit to death just like this. Giving up was not an option to begin with. I used my left hand to grab from katana¡¯s hilt. Carvings on katana¡¯s blade began to emit red lights. I moved few steps towards Lichen and stood still. Using both hands I moved my arms up and katana was raised above my head. My right foot was behind my body while left foot was standing a bit forward. I was going to use my left foot as support, while changing my direction using my right foot. As if understanding my intentions, Lichen moved its left leg towards front while raising his sword to his right by bending his right arm. It was a stance which I hadn¡¯t seen before. I breathed in and out for three times. Mana was flowing inside my body side by side with blood which gave me feeling of immortality. I felt invincible. My body was gushing out with power to be released. Third time when I breathed out, I took initiate and with a small force jumped forward for a meter. As soon as I landed I began to run towards Lichen. It didn¡¯t move at all. It was waiting for me, undermining my potential. Most probably thinking to devour me in one move. Half way through the distance, I went with vertical cut shouting ¡°Dragon¡¯s Wrath¡±. I poured so much fire affiliated mana into katana that for a moment I thought I¡¯m going to lose consciousness. It was effective. A shock-wave of fire was pushed from katana towards Lichen. It reacted with a horizontal cut but I saw flame on his sword. Moreover his left leg was moved back to support his body. I don¡¯t know exactly what material was used to make katana in my hands, but it was capable of holding and transferring dark red mana. Instantly I went for another vertical cut and shouted ¡°Dragon¡¯s Wrath¡±. Lichen dodged this time, rather than blocking my attack like last time. Shockwave of fire passed by him after Lichen dodged it and hit stone doors. Boom! Aftermath sounds of attack echoed within temple. Stone doors were crushed into dust. However it had not ended just like that. Shockwave had hit waterfall and had boiled water. Steam was flowing into temple. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. I run towards Lichen for close combat. It roared and attacked me. My katana was hitting against Lichen¡¯s sword. Sparks were emerging as a result of heated battle. Katana was overflowing with fire affiliated red mana while Lichen¡¯s sword was emitting dark aura. After more than 5-6 slashes both of backed away. As a kid my body was getting exhausted much more faster than Lichen¡¯s. I didn¡¯t know if I can handle another round of sword fighting. I changed to Ko Gasumi no Kamae stance. It was a defensive stance mainly focusing on protecting and counter-attacking. At least I planning to do so. Lichen¡¯s eyes brightened up, emitting more light. As soon as it began to move it leg to run towards me, I began to concentrate both my manas and after he made his second step I shouted ¡°Hurricane¡±. Katana in my hand was emitting fire while a hurricane made out of wind affiliated mana was swirling around me. Lots of dark colored mana began to transmit from Lichen¡¯s armor and turned into liquied, moving towards hurricane. I was able to see outside but I assume his vision was limited to where I was inside the hurricane. Nevertheless, black liquied flowed close to hurricane and visible clash of dark and royal blue mana occurred. For a time, royal blue overpowered dark mana while for some time it was vice verse. I felt depletion of my mana and exhaustion of my body. I was close to my limit and my body would take dangerous level of injury if I kept going on like this. Lichen stood motionless. ¡°Huuuuu-maaaan¡± I heard echoing in temple. ¡°Huuuu-maaan¡± once more same word echoed within temple. ¡°Weeee shaaaall meeeet agaaaaain!¡± Lichen said and left in hurry. I stood still, watching entrance to temple for a few minutes. ¡°Void, Hurricane¡± I said. Stopping flow of mana from my body, I felt fatigue and feebleness. I was too young for an adventure like this. I fall on my knees and dropped katana onto ground. If Lichen came back I would be vulnerable but I didn¡¯t care much now. My body fall towards ground and at last second I used arms to support it. I can¡¯t remember how long I stayed like that but as soon as I came to my senses I left temple taking katana with me. ¡°Vurm! Vurm! Vurm!¡± I shouted. Even if he called out to me, I couldn¡¯t hear him because of noise of waterfall. Lumps of rock fall and I turned to face the place from where sound was coming. Beside waterfall, around 10 meters away, Vurm was lying on ground. He had used his hands to move rock to catch my attention. I run towards him. His skin was as white as snow flake. I removed glass bottles from his backpack and said ¡°I¡¯ll tell you colors and you use your finger to show me which one I should use¡±. ¡°Blue!¡± I said and his hand was motionless as before. ¡°Red¡± I said and same result. ¡°Green!¡± I said and index finger of his right hand move. I opened bottle and put its head to Vurm¡¯s lips. Green liquid flowed into his mouth and he gulped down all of contents of small bottle in one go. I opened second and last green colored glass bottle and repeated the process. Vurm came back to his sense. His foot began to regrow as a result but it was a slow process. ¡°W-w-wee live¡± he said. ¡°Yea, but your legs!¡± I replied. ¡°Blue¡± he mused. I opened both blue bottles and slipped its content into his mouth. Blue mana began to dissipate from his body and his foot began to regenerate faster. In less than half an hour he was like nothing had happened to him. P.S: I want to thank you all who have been supporting me by reading Red Eyes regularly! You guys do not how much it means to me, and I can not write into words my feelings! Thank you all for your kind attention!!!! P.P.S: If there is someone with enough time to write a review and P.M to me I would be honored. Especially about strength and weaknesses of "Red Eyes", main and side character evaluation and so on Next: 19 - Bibliotheca 19 - Bibliotheca ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 19 ¨C Bibliotheca Tilting his head from side to side, weighing choices, Vurm was feeling trapped. ¡°So it just left like that?¡±, he asked. ¡°Yes, Vurm. He just disappeared, and I came outside to find you over there!¡± I said and pointed towards rocks where Vurm was lying down moments ago. Pressing his left hand fingers into his right palm, Vurm cracked his knuckles. ¡°I hope it does not come back for us!¡±, he spurted out words unconsciously. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±, I questioned him. ¡°Metropolis, Kain. Best option seems to be Metropolis..¡±, he said and we departed to north. Early July. 4030. Adventurers Guild. Metropolis.. It took us two long and tiring weeks of walk to reach Metropolis. In comparison to other city and towns that were established in Cohen territories, Metropolis didn¡¯t have any farming around it. Everything from basic necessities to expensive needs were imported to Metropolis. City economy was built and flourished upon gambling and prostitution. There were few red light districts where prostitution was legal. Fifteen big casinos and many small establishments were operating within the walls of Metropolis. It was full of inns, pubs and restaurants. Metropolis didn¡¯t have any family which ruled it. Cohen family had established this city and appointed governor who was directly responsible for day-to-day management of this massive city. Entrance to north-west of city was strictly for permament citizen¡¯s of Metropolis. To enter you had to pass through the passage in between Adventurers Guild and Police building. Walls encircling Metropolis were very tall. There were couple of entrances, although Vurm and I went through without waiting in queue. As soon as we entered Metropolis, I noticed colorful exterior of building within the city. White, black, green, red, blue and so on, there was no single building which was simple and colorless. Even Holy Church¡¯s cathedral which we passed by was covered with white marble. It was first time ever I saw a religious building in this world. Cathedral was built as if it was a pyramid. It was located few blocks after the main entrance. Facade of bottom part of pyramid was decorated with human sculptures. Looking closely, each and every sculpture was referring to or directly depicting ¡®lust¡¯, ¡®greed¡¯ or ¡®gluttony¡¯. Sculptures on right and left side of entrance to cathedral were suggesting idea of salvation although as a person who never dealt with religion of this world, I had no idea about process which was illustrated on those sculptures. Most probably it referred to some kind of baptism. We passed by cathedral, inns, restaurants and pubs, not stopping to eat or drink. ¡°Best roasted chicken that you can find in Metropolis with special tomato sauce from our chef!¡±, ¡°Beer and ale with free boiled beans!¡±, kids were shouting daily specials to attract bypassing potential customers . I was tired and hungry after two weeks of walk through the forest where we ate what we could hunt and sometimes were stuck with only eadible wild grasses. I didn¡¯t want to disturb Vurm, because I knew he was dealing with hunger too. At last, after long inner city trip we reached passage between police station and Adventurers Guild building. Vurm showed soldiers guarding the passage a badge which identified as members of Destrian¡¯s squad. They let us through without any questioning and we headed towards Magus Guild which was inside the north-west part of Metropolis. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Governor of Metropolis was standing by the entrance of Magus Guild by the time we reached it. He greeted us in high respect though Vurm was still having his ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit to you¡± attitude. Vurm went to some room and told me to freely roam around Magus Guild building while he did his job. Before he left I told him that I will be in library. After asking few bypassers, I learnt where the library is located. There was a sticker written ¡°Bibliotheca de Gilda¡±on top of a normal wooden door. I opened the door to see a stall besides the entrance. There was a beautiful young girl standing at other side of stall. ¡°Welcome, how may I help you¡±, she said. I stepped closer to stall and put my arms on top of stall. ¡°It¡¯s my first time in public library¡±, I said. I saw her leaning back and wrinkling her nose. ¡°Damn it¡± I said to myself, ¡°Its been ages that I have cleaned myself.. Most probably I stink like shit!¡±. ¡°Except this floor, there are 8 levels, kid¡±, she told and pointed towards sky. I was mesmerized by her beauty so I hadn¡¯t checked out library. But after she pointed her arm, I looked at that direction to see 8 distinct levels of floors which all together were almost 100 meters tall. My mouth was wide open in awe when I heard her say ¡°Kid, unfortunately I won¡¯t be able to let you go in.. Kid, you have to be ¡®conglegiati¡¯ to use our resources!¡±, she insisted. ¡°A member?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, a conglegiati!¡± she said and laughed softly. I used my index and middle finger of right hand to sign her to bring her head close to me. ¡°Let me tell you something¡±, I said seeing her in doubtfulness of my actions. She brought her head close to me, and I whispered to her ear ¡°If you want to prove yourself as an adult to the gentleman standing behind me by insisting that I¡¯m a kid is like playing into his hands. Don¡¯t worry he will fuck a pretty girl like you anyway! My advise is, let him try to win you over!¡±. I said and turned back to see a good looking tall blonde man standing still. I hadn¡¯t noticed him when I had entered into library, as door opened towards inside of library and he was offside of my vision. But as girl was talking to me, every time she used word ¡®kid¡¯, she was peeking behind me. After second time, I had already understood that there is someone behind me, the question was who needs a beautiful young girl? I turned to face girl again. ¡°By the way, my name is Kain and I belong to sir Destrian¡¯s platoon which is serving directly under supervisorship of Lord Riley Cohen. We just came back from mission, my squad leader Vurm is involved in secret matter which I won¡¯t be able to tell you. But I can tell you one thing for sure, if you don¡¯t help me out, you won¡¯t be able to live in Cohen territories after I say what had happened in here to my squad leader¡±, I said and smiled. She was frozen. I think she was still thinking through what I had said. She left the stall and went towards a aquarium filled with water. I followed her. ¡°Ask and it will help you!¡± she said. ¡°Lichen!¡± I said looking towards small aquarium. After few seconds, a book was projected on top of water inside the aquarium. ¡°Cartae e Monstrum¡±, 5th level. 3 block. A28 p.s: Looking back one single fight took 3 chapters, is it ok with you all? Next: 20 - Unknown 20 - Unknown ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 20 ¨C Unknown ¡°How do I get to 5th level?¡± I questioned the beautiful librarian. ¡°Step into that gondola, and push your hand to that handle. Concentrate and think about where you want to go, and it will take you to that part of library¡±, she answered. I stepped into gondola and pushed my hand onto handle-like structure. ¡°5th level, 3rd block¡± I murmured and it began to float. I removed my hand and automatically gondola began to fly towards 5th level. I looked back to see librarian girl and gentleman accompanying her getting smaller and smaller as I was flying towards up. I left gondola and it flew back to its original place. I looked around to see few more gondola¡¯s standing close by attached to 5th level. I saw big letter ¡°A¡± written on top of shelf. Under it there were numbers signed to each shelf. I walked until I reached shelf number 28. After few minutes of search I found ¡°Cartae e Monstrum¡± and grabbed it. Opening the book, first thing I saw was that everything was indexed according to letters. I put my right index finger on page and scrolled down to find letter ¡°L¡±. There were lots of monster names so I turned another three pages until I reached letter L. My eyes found words ¡°Lichen¡± on first try. Information was on page number 548. I turned to that page to find relatively small information about Lichen. I was loudly reading the information ¡°A mythical creature of unknown origins. According to some myths, it has genetic relations to people of Nekyia. Narrations from ¡°Legend of Pyrr¡± inform that Lichen is both a warrior and magician which uses dark magic. Lichen is referred to monster that has not reached level 6 yet. Up to that point it acts as a warrior type monster who uses either sword or scythe. However after level 6, up to level 9 ¨C it evolves and changes it outer appearance turning into Lich and is able to use magical spells. Any Lich who passes level 9 is called Lich King and another metamorphosis happens changing its outer appearance again. Nevertheless, its monster of myths and legends. They have not been sighted in last millennium¡±. Using magical gondola I descended to ground floor. Vurm was there, waiting for me. ¡°Where are we heading now?¡±, I asked him. ¡°We will ride to meet sir Destrian at the initial meeting point.¡± Late December. 4030. City of Marat. Cohen Territories We rode by check points located near the Alpine Cypress Groove to get information in case Lichen had attacked, but to our surprise it has disappeared into the depth of forest as if it had not existed at all. It was a long and tiring journey. It took us 6 months by riding stallions to reach outpost of City of Marat. We were standing on top of a hill and facing City of Marat. Caravans from different parts of Pyrr were coming into Marat. At least a caravan or two of mules and camels carrying merchandise were standing by Marat¡¯s gates to enter any minute. ¡°There!¡± Vurm said pointing towards three big buildings on outer side of Marat. I used my right leg to kick stallion¡¯s belly for it move. After half an hour of slow ride we reached our destination. We passed by foot soldiers who were lined up to enter the first building. Most of them were talking about food, meals and how hungry they were which indicated that kitchen and cafeteria were located in that building. Second building was used as barracks for soldiers and warriors to sleep over while third building was used as headquarter. We got off from horses and walked straight towards the third building. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Nigel was standing by entrance of third building talking to a woman in military uniform. His face turned to a bright smile as soon as he detected us walking towards him. Running to us, he hugged Vurm (who didn¡¯t hug him back at all) and patted my head. ¡°You guys been through a lot!¡±, he said but got no response from Vurm at all while I smiled at him. ¡°Sir Destrian is waiting for you guys!¡± Nigel said and we followed him into the building. We entered a large room which was simple and boring. It had shelves,a big table and stools. Sir Destrian was sitting at the end of table on a big armchair while rest were sitting on stools by massive table. At the end of table there were two stools that were meant for Vurm and me. We sat on them while Nigel went to side near sir Destrian. Leo was sitting besides sir Destrian too. I was not acquainted with others who were sitting by table. Long story short, both Vurm and I told them what we went through while facing Lichen. I told them almost everything except few instances regarding my newly acquired katana and what Lichen had told me before disappearing. All of them nodded while few of them took notes while we talked. No one cut in or said anything. [Destrian]: Little Kain! [Me]: Yes, my lord! [Destrian]: Did it talk at all? [Me]: No, my lord! Looking towards an old looking man sitting on his right, Destrian murmured ¡°Good, it seems it has not reached 5th level yet.¡±, while that man nodded in agreement. ¡°You guys have been through a lot, rest for few days. We will leave back to Cohen Mansion in two days!¡±, he told us and Nigel again stood to show us rooms to relax. We departed back to Cohen Mansion and reached it after 3 months of travel. My parents were not working as servants in Cohen Mansion anymore. A two story house was given to them as a gift by Riley Cohen. On first floor there was a shop and studio for craftsmanship. Oscar was carving toys and gifts which were sold in shop. Leila was running shop, where she sold Oscar¡¯s carvings and sweets that she cooked in her spare time. To my surprise Leila was pregnant and a new member would be joining our family. My birthday was coming up so it was nice to be back. My nose was aching for Leila¡¯s warmth. Moreover it was good to have a place to call home. Late March. 4031. Library. Cohen Mansion ¡°In two months, Cyrus Lyth will be 17 years old. Farrell will be going to attend his birthday party, and Kyle will be joining too. I want you to accompany Farrell into Lyth Manor and experience high society ball.¡±, Riley told me while sitting on armchair. ¡°Yes, my Lord¡±, I replied. ¡°Anything else?¡±, he asked. ¡°Yes, my Lord¡±, I responded. ¡°Go on, I¡¯m listening¡±, Riley said. ¡°My lord, I wanted to ask you this question few years ago, but it happened to be today.¡±, I stopped to take a breathe. ¡°What is the name of land that is on north-west side of this map?¡±, I asked while pointing to piece of land that was separate from Continent of Pyrr, but was included in map which was drawn on library¡¯s wall. P.S: How''s the story so far? Next: 21 - Shadowfury 21 - Shadowfury ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 21 ¨C Shadowfury Riley¡¯s eyes lost focus for an instant. Next his gaze shifted to wall to stare at map. His hands grabbed strongly from armchair¡¯s handle and released it. I assume he was deep in thought evaluating whether to give proper answer to me regarding my question. Dry lips of his, resembling drought burdened desert, opened slowly. ¡°Never ask this question to anybody else, for your own welfare¡±, he said meekly. ¡°Yes, my lord¡±, I replied. He raised his right hand and waved. I left library to go back to my home. Even though it was called Howe village, in reality it was not smaller or less developed than any other town. I strolled casually back to my new home navigating through streets. Actually there are two places where I think over my actions, brainstorm about ideas and come up with future plans. First and foremost is when I¡¯m doing my daily duty in bathroom. After experiencing 10 years of life in this world and almost 30 years back in old one, I have decided that lavatory is the best-suited place for brain to work at full capacity. Second situation where whispers of fairies run within nerve cells of my brain, inspiring me with original ideas is when I walk aimlessly. I stopped to see that I have passed by my home. ¡°It¡¯s too late¡­ I can¡¯t go back in time¡±, I murmured and walked towards our newly acquired house. Upon reaching the door, I grabbed doorbell that looked like horseshoe. I pulled and pushed it for a few times, which made ringing noise. Door opened and Leila¡¯s hands grabbed me pulling my body to her. She kissed me on cheeks whispering ¡°Happy birthday sweetie!¡± Moreover she pinched my cheeks which in return I said ¡°Mooom¡­ I¡¯m not a kid anymore¡±. ¡°You will be my sweet little Kain for eternity¡±, she said and we went into house. That day we had neighbors who came as guests and brought their kids to my birthday party. We sang songs, ate delicious meals, enjoyed cake and cookies, and drank tea and coffee. I will never forget the moment where Oscar patted my head and Leila¡¯s kissed on my right cheek after I blew out candles on top of cake. Late-April. 4031. Southern Sea, Cohen Territories. We have been traveling in ship called ¡®Shadowfury¡¯ for more than a month. I¡¯ve been with Farrell Cohen in this journey with other three warriors. They are his bodyguards while I act as scribe. Nevertheless, I¡¯ve my katana with me but I think I won¡¯t need to use it at all unless we face pirates on our way. Our destination was city of Deiza, which was home to Lyth mansion. Lyth family was using Deiza as their base. Deiza was located on shore of Southern Sea and it was main trade hub of southern part of continent losing only to Astoria in quantity of ships docked. ¡°One more day?¡±, I asked Farrell. During the trip I got to know Farrell better. He was an honest man with almost unlimited power within his palms. Although he never misused his position or power. Farrell was the one who has given ¡®Shadowfury¡¯ as a gift to captain Macklemore. Nevertheless, he acted with courtesy towards captain without giving a hint to crew of ship about Shadowfury¡¯s original funding. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. His only negative side was that he liked to talk a lot when asked about something. He would talk and talk and sometimes it felt that it will take an eternity for him to shut up. However, I felt at ease around him even when he talked for hours non-stop. Actually most of time I used his talkativeness to my advantage. Why should I ask him about weather when I can ask him about political situation? ¡°Yes, Kain. Another day in this ship which feels like an eternity. After all this time, it feels so boring to be on ship.. We should have left earlier using horses. At least we would travel to see different sights in comparison to¡±, Farrell was going to talk until lunch so I cut in to ask ¡°Lord, please enlighten me in matters of theory of magic¡±. Farrell¡¯s eyes filled with sparkles and gleam asked me, ¡°Do you know what chaos is?¡±. ¡°Yes¡± I shook my head a bit and continued ¡°and no. I mean I know literally but...¡± ¡°Kain, chaos is natural state of universe.¡± He stopped to take a breathe and clutched his hands together to continue ¡°Everything from small rocks to big nations to sun to moon and to this deep and unlimited Southern Sea to exist need constant energy inputs to maintain its form¡±. ¡°If.. IF at some point input of energy stops then that things will decay to chaos.. to its natural state¡±, he said with a loud voice. ¡°Kain, Do you know what is that energy?¡± he asked. ¡°Mana?¡± I replied. ¡°Yes, its what we call mana. Its everywhere...It¡¯s what keeps things running... Hahaa¡±, he laughed. ¡°Anyway being able to manipulate mana is marvelous in itself. It opens closed doors to unlimited possibilities but there are limits too¡±, he stopped for an instant to bring together his thoughts. ¡°First thing what you have to remember is you can¡¯t make things stop existing¡±, ¡°and second is you can¡¯t create things out of nothing¡±. Farrell grinned and carried on ¡°That¡¯s omnipotence... Imaging having so much power to create things with just single thought.. You just say ¡°be¡± and it takes a form.. hahaha¡±. .... (1 hour have passed) .... (3 hours have passed) .... (5 hours have passed) ¡°Now you will think, what about our consciousness?¡± Farrell asked himself and replied¡°That¡¯s where Holy Church comes into equation. Some believe in higher beings some don¡¯t.. For me personally, I don¡¯t know.. Haven¡¯t thought about it..¡± ¡°Shall we eat something?¡± he asked and I responded ¡°We must.. I¡¯m starving!¡± Next morning Shadowfury docked on Deiza¡¯s port. There was a carriage waiting for us. ¡°Deiza¡±, Farrell said followed by a shallow sigh. Carriage took us to Imperial Plaza Hotel where king size suite was prepared in advance to host us during our stay in Deiza. Kyle joined us sometime in afternoon. I got off first with the bodyguard while Farrell and Kyle departed carriage after us. I was going to be acting as Kyle¡¯s bodyguard while another warrior would be staying by Farrell. Carriage left to parking lot as we faced entrance to Lyth manor. James and Kal-min Lyth were standing by entrance to personally welcome Farrell and Kyle Cohen to their son¡¯s birthday party. Next: 22 - Birthday Party I 22 - Birthday Party I ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 22 ¨C Birthday Party I There were two guards standing still behind James and Kal-min Lyth. They were tall men wearing undecorated helmet, breastplate, shield, spear and sword. Only on the breastplate a letter was carved out ¨C ¡°L¡±. Only the eyes and the mouth of the guards were exposed as the nose-guard and the check-pieces were covering everything else. The first thought that comes to person¡¯s mind upon seeing them is ¡°brute¡±. ¡°Are they showing off their power?¡±, I thought to myself. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to welcome the Cohen House representatives in Cyrus¡¯s birthday party!¡±, James Lyth spoke diligently. My focus changed to James and Kal-min Lyth. Looking closely James didn¡¯t have the vibe of house elder. The expensive clothing that he had on was covering his bodily defects. In reverse, Kal-min¡¯s white skin and beautiful womanly features would carve deep feelings of affection, desire and yearning in hearts of men and women. A golden necklace with deer pendant and flavored with emerald, rock crystal and colored glass was hanging on her neck, shining brightly under the lights of sun. There were two female slaves sitting on their knees few meters behind Kal-min. The slaves were there to carry the bright green cape that Kal-min was wearing. Kal-min''s delicate nose, straight brows and bright green eyes of Kal-min gave her the aura of a 20 year old maiden. ¡°She is a fairy¡±, I murmured and Kyle¡¯s gaze switched to me, a smile appearing on his face. We followed them into the mansion. More likely a palace though. We went into the big hall where the celebration was going to be held. Lots of people were talking and chatting with each other. All of them were representing cities and towns from Lyth and other territories. Everyone bowed as soon as they saw us passing by them which caught my interest. Waiters and waitresses were welcoming guests, serving drinks, demonstrating the menu and describing dishes. We reached end of hall where a young boy of Kyle¡¯s age was standing by himself. He was wearing a golden armor and golden sword. Eyes are mirror of soul I was told. This kid¡¯s eyes were mirroring greed and lust. His posture was emitting arrogance. ¡°Kyle¡±, he shouted as soon as we came into his vision. ¡°Hows life treating you, Cyrus?¡±, Kyle said and they began to talk. I understood that this ferocious looking kid was Cyrus Lyth. After few minutes of chat, Cyrus went ahead towards the stairs close to us and got on top of a stand. Trumpets were blown as soon as he reached top of stand. Everyone''s attention was focused on young Cyrus while total silence ruled through the hall. ¡°Dear father, mother and sister¡±, he said and looked to James and Kal-min. ¡°Where¡¯s his sister?¡±, passed my mind. ¡°Dear Farrell and Kyle Cohen!¡±, he stressed the surname part. ¡°Dear friends and guests! I thank you all for attending my 17th birthday party! I¡¯m honored to see this many great people coming to share my joy! Thank you all!¡±, he said and left the stand to join us. Excited murmurs, babble of voices and noises of shuffling feet filled the hall again. Everyone was enjoying themselves to the fullest. Kyle patted my shoulder and I turned to face him. ¡°Father says you should go and enjoy yourself. We will be here for long, one bodyguard is enough for us!¡±, he told me. I left them to wander around the hall. I couldn¡¯t start a conversation with others as they would take me as a kid. I was offered fresh apple juice by a waitress and I asked her whereabouts of kids around my age. She pointed towards an exit and told me ¡°Your peers are there, enjoying themselves!¡±. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. I exited the grand hall, went through quite a few small halls and got lost once. Luckily a waiter showed me to the place where kids were playing around. It was nice to find out that the place prepared for the young ones to enjoy the party was the mansion''s backyard. The word ¡®backyard¡¯ is a bit lacking at describing the actual place because whichever way I looked the walls to show the end of the yard was not visible. Green trees and shrubs had covered every inch of the yard. Nevertheless, it was much less crowed and peaceful in comparison to inner hall where the main party was held. Kids aging from 10 to their teens were playing, chatting, eating and drinking near a place on my right. I strolled on a stone walkway in opposite direction. I walked for a while and layed down the ground under a beautiful sakura tree. I saw a stone which attracted my interest. There were inscriptions on it. Cyrus cometh forth into heaven by thee, Pyrr. The face of Cyrus is like the Angels. The wings of Cyrus are like the Eagle. The nails of Cyrus are like the claws the Wolf. There is no word concerning Cyrus on earth among men. There is no hostile speech about him with the gods. ¡°Arrogant prick¡±, I murmured and closed my eyes to sleep. ¡°No, don¡¯t¡±, was last the thing which I heard... SPLASH!!! Cold water was spilled down onto my face waking me up. I jumped in confusion. Instinctively my hands went up to my face. Checking my surrounding I see a bunch of kids same age or older than me standing around me. One of them has a bucket in his hand, a wide, childish grin spreading across his face from ear to ear. Others let loose giggles which irritates me. I stood up to face the crowd. There were few teenagers around but rest were young. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for cousin Dai¡¯s mischief¡±, a beautiful girl said to me. My eyes were fixed on girl who spoke in a lady-like manner with childish voice. I half-drew my katana and sheathed it back with force and a ¡°chuck¡± sound broke out. Silence fell. ¡°For a beauty like you I would cut through the biggest mountain and kill the wildest beasts with my bare hands...¡±, I said and seeing her blush I continued ¡°Water is a blessing. No impurity in it, you shouldn¡¯t be worried or sorry¡±. ¡°Damn you brat! Do you know who you are talking to?¡±, a male standing by the girl spoke. ¡°Cousin Dai!¡±, she whispered. ¡°Aila you stay out of it¡±, Dai replied. ¡°A mere peasant showing mercy to us?¡±, Dai told harshly. ¡°Peasant, noble, warrior or mage does not matter. I¡¯m an honored guest of Cyrus Lyth. By trying to make fun out of me, you are making fun out of him¡±, I said, my eyes met with Dai¡¯s. The bucket dropped out of his hand. ¡°Peasant, next time you won¡¯t be protected by my cousin! Let¡¯s go everyone¡±, he said and departed. Everyone turned to go away. Swiftly I caught girl¡¯s hand and she turned back hesitantly. I haven¡¯t had a hair-cut for long time so my hair was almost up to my shoulder. The wet hair was covering my face. I used my left hand to push it back. ¡°I¡¯m Kain and you are?¡±, I released her hand. ¡°Aila¡±, she whispered nervously. Most probably it was first time Aila was talking to a male who was not a relative of hers. ¡°Aila, can you help me out to find new cloths?¡±, I asked. P.S: is there any progress in grammar? Next: 23 - Birthday Party II 23 - Birthday Party II ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 23 - Birthday Party II Late-April. 4031. Lyth Manor Distance between Lyth mansion and us was not far when my eyes detected mint leaves within grasses. I kneeled down and tore off mint leaves. ¡°What are those¡±, Aila asked me. I put few of them to my mouth and began to chew. Aila had bended down too, watching my in amazement. ¡°Try¡±, I said giving her few mint leaves that were left in my right palm. ¡°I-t r-f-r-s¡±, I saw myself not making sense so chumped up and swallowed mint leaves. ¡°It refreshes your breathe and is good for your health¡±, I said smiling. Her small hand grabbed mint leaves out of my palm. She used small and delicate fingers to put a mint leaf into her mouth. As she was chewing mint, her delicate nose twitched and face seemed to crumple. ¡°It tastes bitter¡±, I told her. The ground shook and I clearly felt small vibrations. I looked down to and touched earth. It felt as if vibrations were coming from Lyth mansion. ¡°Earthquake¡±, passed my mind. I looked at Aila. She was chewing mint leaves obediently, trying to smile while at it. ¡°Get up, Aila¡±, I told her and stood up. Vibrations began to shake ground wildly, so I grabbed Aila and pulled her towards myself. ¡°Wha-, What¡±, she uttered in disbelief but without listening to her blabbers I used my left hand to grab from her legs and used my right hand to support her spine. She blushed, her face reddening momentarily. ¡°Put me down!¡±, she insisted. ¡°Hurricane¡±, I said and spell was activated. Winds began to move spirally around us. Few seconds later wild hurricane was moving around us to protect from possible threats. My body began to slowly float on a straight line. We were drifting on air around a meter or so above the ground. Hurricane was a protective spell that didn¡¯t allow sound or noise attacks to pass through. That was why it was perfect in a situation like this one. Boom! An explosion occurred within the mansion, which made a big crack in its wall and sent pieces of cement and bricks towards us. Fortunately all of them were turn to dust by wild winds of hurricane and nothing reached to hurt us. Nevertheless, sound of explosion dissonated disturbingly even at epicenter of hurricane where we were located. Aila closed her eyes in fear and grabbed from my neck. A black figure emerged from dust that was covering mansion. It was flying backwards, facing mansion. Many people followed him out even though they were keeping their distance. Looking closely, whoever it was, he or she was wearing a black robe covering almost all of its body. Moreover s/he had black gloves in its hands not revealing skin at all. It was still flying backwards at steady pace but was increasing its distance from ground. Many warriors and mages were joining other people who had come outside earlier so I de-activated the spell ¡°Void, Hurricane¡±. A sinister voice echoed through the valley that we were standing on. ¡°Today shall be marked as beginning of the end!¡±, person who was floating still above the ground said. Hoodie covering his or her head was lifted by that person. Long black hair was hovering backwards in air because of winds. ¡°I am Iris Saphira!¡±, she shouted. Everyone was taken aback by her words as if remembering something forgotten long time ago. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°O, realm of dead, open your doors to this world for server of Satan to enter. Protector of first hell, prince of war, god in your own right; I want your help to take revenge upon these sinners. I request the honor of your presence. Come forth ¨C Minotaur!¡±, Iris shouted. Clouds above us darkned in matter of seconds. Winds began to wildly run through the land. It seemed like a real hurricane was occuring when a lightening bolt went through sky to earth. Boom! Another explosion happened. Pieces of dirt and land were flying on air on all directions. Air was still dark and rays of sun could not penetrate thick clouds. My vision switched back to location where lightening had hit. A monster¡¯s body could be seen as dust and smoke began to disappear. Monster was almost 10 meters tall. Its body had a charred and corroded look. Skin of the monster seemed to be made of volcanic rock. There were lines of lava on Minotaur¡¯s skin. Under the waist it had a proper leg armor while upper body was covered in dirty and shredded loincloth. Most dreadful of all was its head. Instead of brows there were two small horns that swayed to right and left. On his chin in between hair of his beard small horns were engraved. Two big and two small horns were placed on top of its ears. It was a creature from the darkest nightmares. ¡°Kill them! Kill them all! Massacre!¡±, Iris shouted and pointed towards people standing in front of broken walls of manor. I saw Farrell and Kyle Cohen within crowd of people. ¡°What is that you offer?¡±, Minotaur spoke in a dreadful tone. ¡°My life!¡±, Iris replied. ¡°That belongs to me already! What is that you offer woman?¡±, Minotaur¡¯s words followed Iris¡¯s reply. ¡°My soul it is then!¡±, Iris said. Minotaur dropped its massive sword and raised right hand towards the sky where Iris Saphira was floating. She descended slowly towards minotaur. ¡°I accept!¡±, minotaur said. Her soul, as if materialized, came forth through her mouth and began to flow like water into minotaur¡¯s palm. Aila was scared to death, shivering continuously standing by me. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±, I asked. ¡°Our grandfather killed everyone from Saphira house and emerged as a winner making our family what it is now¡±, Aila said in fear. As if waking up from a bad dream, mages began to chant spells and attack minotaur. Lightenings, shockwaves of winds and storm¡¯s of water waves were hitting minotaur but no damage was done to it at all. Iris¡¯s soul exited her body and it fall down to ground lifeless. Her soul turned into a big-pearl in minotaur¡¯s palm. Minotaur moved its hand and put pearl into his mouth. After swallowing the pearl it said ¡°Massacre it is!¡±. P.S: Thanks to Evernest for proofreading last chapter!!!! THANKS BUDDY P.P.S: Regarding time frame - actually when I don''t post time it means that it is same time frame as last chapter.. But from now on I''ll add time and location on each chapter not to get lost.. P.P.P.S: Chapters are short, as I''m having problem with finding enough time to write as I don''t work for anybody and run my own business which is pretty hard.. Anything else should I focus on while writing? Next: 24 - Birthday Party III 24 – Birthday Party III ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* Late-April. 4031. Lyth Manor. Deiza City. Minotaur chanted something by whispering, black mists began to emerge from monster and flow to occupy surroundings. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±, I heard Aila asking. ¡°No idea...¡±, I replied. As of now there were more or less 500 people standing still, facing minotaur. Everyone was getting ready to attack minotaur by pouring mana into their weapons or chanting long and powerful spells. Unfortunately, black mists reached them before they attacked. One by one people were falling down to ground. My mind was focused on others when I heard ¡°PAT¡± sound from behind. I turned to see Aila lying unconscious on ground. I pulled her out of black mist and tried to wake her. Just to be sure, I checked her pulse. ¡°Coma?¡±, I whispered to myself. ¡°Mortals!¡±, Minotaur¡¯s voice echoed. ¡°Kill me and others shall wake from their slumber! Else, I will devour each and every soul!¡±, Minotaur spoke again. My eyes detected two people who were not affected by minotaur¡¯s spell. One of them was hovering on air and second one was covered with light blue mana standing firmly on ground. Few sparks occured on my body as if a fire was going to be flamed. Attentively, I put down Aila¡¯s body on ground. To my surprise, sparks occured as dark mists hovering on ground were touching my body. Moreover, my body was consuming and absorbing dark mists. It was empowering me. Minotaur raised it¡¯s right arm and its sword that was laying on ground was pulled up into his hand. He slashed sword few times and massive waves of wind pushed through to attack two mages. The one who was standing on ground chanted something and large amount of water began to come up from ground making a wave as tall as 15 meters. ¡°Tsunami¡±, mage shouted. Massive wave after wave flooded towards minotaur crashing on midway against wind shockwaves produced by minotaur¡¯s attack. Humans were at disadvantage and minotaur was aware of it. Minotaur made few more slashes with the sword and few more wind shockwaves swooped towards mages. Thinking rationally, minotaur¡¯s attacks were aimed at people who were lying on ground rather than mages. ¡°Smart one¡±, I whispered. Fortunately, no one was aware of my and Aila¡¯s existence, yet. I had two possible options. The first was to run, either taking Aila with me or alone. The second was to fight. I was thinking throughly to come up with decision when my heart beat stopped for a moment. I gulped down, swallowing last of saliva in my mouth in thirst. I breathed out, last of air within my body going out and taking all the power from my body. I fall down onto my knees barely standing still. The flow of time slowed down. Minotaur¡¯s right leg moved to make first step but in my eyes it took an eternity. Another step but mages were staying still as if nothing had happened. On minotaur¡¯s third step, mage hovering on air began to move his right arm. In an instant all of dark mists that were covering ground were absorbed by my body. I felt an unimaginable burst of power that could not be described in words. I stood up to see Minotaur making its fifth step and sparks of light emerging at mages finger. Minotaur moved his sword to slash at him when lightening bolts struck from mage''s finger tips. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Everything was still in slow motion where it felt as if I was an omnipotent being; having supreme rule over time. I began to run towards them, while minotaur¡¯s sword dodged lightening and went towards the mage standing on ground. Five lightening bolts hit minotaur¡¯s body but his sword cut the mage into two. High-pitched, filled with horror and terror screams came out of minotaur when hit by lightening bolts. It used its left hand to grab the mage hovering on air and ripped him into two. As soon as I was few meters away from minotaur I unsheathed my katana. The flow of time turned to normal. ¡°Old lord, you are still alive?¡±, was first thing which minotaur said to me. I didn¡¯t get what he meant. I grabbed katana with my both hands and raised it over my head when I saw what minotaur had meant. My body was not of flesh but fire. My arms went down and I raised my left arm up to my eye level. I turned my hand sideways few times, moved my fingers. Flames and fire was all I consisted of. ¡°You don¡¯t remember!¡±, minotaur said again and laughed. A breeze hit me before his sword came down. Minotaur had changed its mind to attack at me, as if understanding I was not person or being who he thought I am. I dodged its attack by jumping to right. Minotaur¡¯s sword was almost hitting ground when it tried to change it projection to hit me. Instead of waiting for his attack, I jumped onto his sword and began to run towards his body. I jumped up into air as soon as I reached his arm joints. On air, I poured as much as dark red and royal blue mana I could into katana. ¡°Dragon¡¯s roar¡±, I screamed and as I slashed katana a wave of fire and flames emerged to swoop at minotaur. They were followed by a thin wave of fast wind which diagonally cut minotaur into two. Instead of blood gushing out of its body, minotaur began to disperse as if it was a hologram. Only its head was left when minotaur said ¡°We shall meet again!¡±. I heard noises so turned towards place from where voice was coming. It was Kyle Cohen. He had regained his alertness and composure. The flames that made up my body began to evanescence, reforming back to flesh. He saw me mutating and evolving, although there was not a glimpse of shock in his face. He came towards me and said ¡°You should wear something¡±. Late May 4031. Cohen Manor. ¡°Kyle has written me about what you have done¡±, Riley said. I was standing few meters away from him. As always he was sitting on his usual armchair. He began to fill pipe bowl with tobacco. His focus was on bowl so that not spill tobacco. As he finished filling it, he put the pipe in his mouth. Riley grasped match firmly at its midpoint using his index finger and thumb. He used his left hand to get rough rock that was on table close to him. He squeezed the match on rock and pulled it. He took up the burning match up to pipe and put tobacco in fire. Puffing for few times, he began to inhale and exhale smoke. ¡°Enlighten me, Kain. What had happened?¡±, he said. P.S: Any good criticisms regarding story? Next: Chapter 25 - Pirate! 25 - Pirate! ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 25 ¨C Pirate! Late May 4031. Cohen Manor. ¡°That¡¯s all, my lord¡±, I said. ¡°Was it only Kyle who saw you in that form?¡±, Riley Cohen asked. ¡°Yes, my lord¡±, I replied diligently. ¡°Good, good¡±, he said and put the pipe into his mouth again. After few puffs, Riley spoke ¡°You should visit your family. It¡¯s been long time already. After a month you will head to Astoria to enroll in Monarch Academy¡±. ¡°Thank you, my lord¡±, I said and bowed my head a bit to show respect. It has really been long time. Walking through the halls of Cohen Manor brought up some old memories that were hidden deep in my memories. I exited manor to go to Howe village. Sun was setting down. Red rays of sunlight were shining brightly upon my eyes, blinding me. I turned my face to my left so that bright rays don¡¯t hurt my eyes. Quacks of ducks caught my attention so I stopped to look carefully into rice fields. Rows of rice were perfectly parallel to each other which was result of hard labor. I walked close to field and bend on my knees to watch ducks walking around in rice field. Young ducks were following adults which I found pretty cute. Actually I always liked ducks, although they seem to be kind of stubborn animals. There was a big grin on my face. ¡°So lovely¡±, I uttered. ¡°O-o-o, warrior boy has a cute side too!¡±, a girl¡¯s voice echoed in my ears. I glanced towards the direction where voice came up, by covering my eyes with my right hand. There was a girl who was covered in dirt looking at me. ¡°I¡¯m Kain¡±, I said. ¡°All of Howe knows who you are!¡±, she giggled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that¡±, I revealed my lack of knowledge. She made few steps towards me and knelt down. ¡°Do you know why there are ducks in rice fields?¡±, she spoke in a tone as if interrogating me. ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡±, I replied. ¡°Ducks eat pests and weeds, which makes field much more productive for farming. Moreover their excrement is fertilizer for plants¡±, she explained in a tone and manner as if she was a Harvard professor. ¡°So, who are you? Mother duck?¡±, I smiled at her. ¡°Your neighbor! Ha¡±, she claimed. I stared at her for a minute or so. My silence was irritating her and I could see her puzzled face expression. ¡°Good, because I have forgotten where my house is. Can you please show me the way?¡±, I asked. On the way back to home, I learned that girl¡¯s name was Arielle. She was a year older than me. Looking closely, she had a small perfect nose, although her eyebrows looked like Templar knight swords. Arielle¡¯s eyes were big, brown and cheerful. Her hair was shoulder length, bounded up from back but few small curls escaping over her ears and face. ¡°Auntie, Auntie!¡±, she shouted. ¡°I got a surprise for you!¡±, she continued. ¡°Arielle, is that you?¡±, Leila¡¯s voice echoed from other side of door. ¡°Did you cook the cake recipe?¡±, Leila said while opening the door. She screamed in joy as soon as she saw me standing by the door. Her arms enveloped around me. ¡°Kain, Kain¡±, was all she was whispering while tightly hugging me. I hugged her back and whispered to her ears ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back¡±. She pushed me back a bit. I saw tears flowing down from her eyes as if torrents of avalanche. ¡°I was worried¡±, was last thing what she said as Oscar¡¯s hands touched her shoulders to calm her down. ¡°Kain¡±, word spurted out of Oscar¡¯s mouth. Oscar was not crying but his eyes were full of tears that could burst any moment. ¡°Welcome home son¡±, he sniffed and said. I smiled back at him. ¡°I would be glad to eat Leila¡¯s meals but I don¡¯t like touchy moments such as this one.. I¡¯ll be leaving then¡±, Arielle said and left to her house which was really just few meters away from ours. ¡°Kain if you get to know her, she is a good girl.. If you like we may arrange her to be married to you¡±, Leila spoke in haste. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m 11 and pretty hungry.. Let¡¯s go in¡±, I said while making a weird face. Our house was mix of cake shop, craftsmanship workshop and normal home. Nevertheless, Leila was keeping everything very clean and neat. We were walking into dining room when I was startled by voice. A small kid was lying on sofa next to table. Both Oscar and Leila were grinning. I came towards the kid and saw a very beautiful but a fat kid screaming her lungs out. She had beautiful blue eyes and dark hair. She was as white as snow queen. I wanted to play with her, bite her, roll her around. I always wanted a sibling. ¡°Her skin is as white as yours, mom¡±, I said looking at Leila. ¡°His skin, Kain¡±, Leila told. ¡°A boy?¡±, I was puzzled. ¡°Yes, his name is Luc¡±, Oscar followed. I touched his nose with my index finger. Luc¡¯s small hands grabbed my finger, he calmed down and his crying voice diminished. I was whistling and playing around with him. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Next day I strolled within Howe village. The roads were paved with stones which made them look good and gave a town like atmosphere. Most of the village consisted of two or three storey houses. I didn¡¯t count but more than few thousand buildings had been built in Howe. Almost everyone knew each other in Howe. Surprisingly there were no guild center¡¯s in Howe, and village lacked a library. The mayor of Howe was appointed by Cohen family. There was a police force under control of mayor but theft and robbery were uncommon in Howe. Few days before my departure to Monarch Academy annual Virgo Festival was held. That day Arielle accompanied me around the village while Oscar and Leila were sitting in a tea house with Arielle¡¯s parents. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wear traditional man clothes?¡±, Arielle asked me. I looked towards ground checking my white shirt, pants and leather boots. ¡°Isn¡¯t it traditional clothing?¡±, I replied with a question. ¡°You look like a mercenary.. Although I have to admit carrying a sword gives you some kind of mysterious aura¡±, she had a perverted look. ¡°So, what¡¯s virgo festival is about?¡±, I question her. ¡°Nothing much. Peace, prosperity, happiness and so on.. ¡±, Arielle stalled talking for a moment. ¡°Have you never attended Virgo Festival?¡±, she asked. ¡°No¡±, I answered. She grabbed my hand and said ¡°Come on, follow me!¡±. She was running ahead of me towards the center of village which had a large free area. People were bringing wood pieces to lay on center of Howe. ¡°What are they doing?¡±, I asked Arielle. ¡°Kain you are hopeless. They are going to burn a small fire and add wood to it to keep it burning until morning. Important part is that you gotta make a wish and jump over the fire. While jumping you should say, I throw all the bad things in my life to this fire to burn¡±, she had harvard professor face again. Nevertheless, we had a good night. We ate, drank, jumped over fire, sang songs and danced. Arielle even kissed me on my cheeks which I found pretty cute as she was blushing like a fire alarm. On departure day to Monarch Academy, Vurm in front of our house with two stallions. Oscar, Leila, little Luc and Arielle were there to send me off. I was glad to see Vurm after almost a month time. Oscar was holding Luc while Leila had a bucket of water in her hands. As our horses left the front of house, she threw the water after us. ¡°Your mom loves you a lot¡±, Vurm emphasized. ¡°All mothers are like that¡±, I responded. ¡°Not all, Kain. Not all¡±, he spoke with a sad voice. It took us almost a month of traveling to reach port of Melen. It was a small city that was used by passing ships as a supply dock. I was going to travel from here to Astoria on a ship called Sea Serpents. It was a massive ship which was used to carry cargo. On board of ship, I waved at Vurm and he left without responding. ¡°He is emotional¡±, I whispered. There was a private suite for me in Sea Serpents. It was going to take around two or more months to reach Astoria depending on weather conditions. There were a lot of kids around my age or older who were traveling by their servants to Astoria. Ship departed the dock and sailed towards our next destination. I went through the deck to bow of ship. I was standing still, watching albatrosses with their long wings waving through the air; riding the winds. It felt like some kind of mosquito or bug bit me above waist from backside. Without looking at it, I rolled my arm back towards the spot to hit but there was nothing. Almost at the same spot again pain occurred. I turned to see a young girl standing in front of me with another old man behind her. Unusually she had a black eye-patch covering her left eye. She wore a white shirt, pants and leather boots made for men. On her hand, she was holding a small sword which was looking like a needle. ¡°Peasant!¡±, she shouted. I turned my face to right and left to see who she was talking to. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, peasant!¡±, she shouted again. With my right hand I showed towards myself. She nodded and said ¡°Yes, you!¡±. ¡°Do I know you?¡±, I asked. ¡°I¡¯m future Queen of Pirates, peasant!¡±, she said. Old man standing behind her was making hand gestures which was like begging me to continue the farce. ¡°Thank you for blessing me with your presence, future Queen of Pirates. May I know why you honor me?¡±, I told. ¡°Good! I like you peasant. I nominate you as part of my crew! Do you want to serve me until you die!¡±, she said. Old man had both his hands folded together with a bitter and sorry face. ¡°No!¡±, I said. P.S: I read all of your comments! Sometimes I do reply, sometimes I do not BUT still I value each and every criticism that you make and evaluate my writing accordingly.. THANK YOU ALL! Next: 26 - Esmeralda 26 – Esmeralda ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 26 ¨C Esmeralda ¡°No?!¡±, she was stumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to loot, rape, exploit, rob? Imagine the adventures that we will face in the future!¡±, she came up with new trap to entangle me into her web. I sighed deeply. I stood up to walk towards her. ¡°Sabre¡±, I whispered as I saw bell guard of sword she had in her hand. After few steps I stopped at distance very close to her. ¡°Rape?¡±, I said. ¡°Who are you going to rape?¡±, I added looking into her eye. She had a puzzled face. I bet she haven¡¯t thought a moment about what she wanted to be. ¡°Kids. Spoiled rich kids¡±, passed my mind. Laughing sounds of girl voices ringed around the deck of the Sea Serpents. Recognizing owners of the voices, wannabe pirate girl turned back with an angry face expression. ¡°Elle! Damn you!¡±, she shouted. ¡°Calm down, K. I was just teasing you¡±, Elle said. Mine and Elle¡¯s eyes met. We stared at each other for a moment. ¡°Did Baba accept you as a student?¡±, I said and grinned. ¡°Why do you care, P-E-A-S-A-N-T?!¡±, she replied angrily, taking time to spell out peasant for me. ¡°Don¡¯t take it seriously. I was just teasing you!¡±, I told her. The other girl began to laugh which made Elle stare at me as if I was her eternal enemy. ¡°We are heading to Monarch Academy. What about you Kain?¡±, she said with a high-pitch tone so that everyone could hear. ¡°Oh! It seems you haven¡¯t forgotten me.¡±, I said, laughed a bit and continued ¡°I¡¯m heading to Monarch Academy too!¡± Taking her eye-patch off, the girl turned to me and spoke ¡°I¡¯m Klytea Silverstar!¡±.¡±I¡¯m Kain. Nice to meet you Klai-tee¡±, I said not knowing how to pronounce her name, hearing it for the first time. ¡°Kain, its K-L-Y-T-E-A. But it¡¯s okay for you to call me K!¡±, she smiled. ¡°Are you going to enroll in Monarch?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes¡±, I answered. During the trip, Elle did many pranks on Klytea. I talked to Klytea a lot learning about her. Klytea was an easy-going but a spoiled wealthy child. Her family was controlling a city called Kilrest which was located hundred kilometers north of Vin. Kilrest was a trading heaven with hundreds of ships and caravans docking its ports or entering through its gates daily. As much as I understood Kilrest was a bigger city than Vin and Klytea¡¯s family was ruling over it. Elle and Klytea¡¯s family knew each other well and had friendly relationships even though their cities were rivals in terms of trade and commerce. That was how Klytea and Elle had met. However, in comparison to Elle, Klytea¡¯s family was over-doting on her. Klytea had never been outside of Kilrest palace. She had no friends and no knowledge of foes. Like a nightingale in a cage. Her only contact with outside was Elle who was coming over to stay for a day or two with Klytea. Klytea¡¯s elder brother is a prodigy who is finishing Monarch Academy this year. He will inherit city from family head in the next few years after his age is past 20. Elle and Klytea had met around 7 years ago and up to last year Elle had traveled to Kilrest to play with Klytea regularly. A year ago when Elle began to attend Monarch academy, Klytea decided to talk to her family regarding herself to study in Monarch. Silverstar family denies her wish so she runs away from home with Ralf who accompanies her even now. They go to Vin to meet with Elle. But to Klytea¡¯s surprise her parents were in Vin before she had arrived there with Ralf. Klytea¡¯s parents didn¡¯t scold or punish her in Vin. Instead they agree and give their blessings to Klytea to go to Monarch Academy but with one condition. If she can¡¯t enroll, she will come back to Kilrest and be an obedient girl as she has always been. ¡°So, how come you were acting like a pirate?¡±, I asked Klytea. ¡°Earlier I asked Elle about who the freest people are, and she told me pirates.¡±, she told looking down in shame. ¡°She didn¡¯t lie¡±, I said smiling at Klytea. ¡°But, you are not fit to be a pirate¡±, I continued. We were walking with Klytea on deck while we chatted. After passing by third mast we saw situation which amazed us. All lateen sails were flowing down the masts but there were no winds to push the ship. A man was standing by steersman. He loudly began to chant a spell and brought up both of his arms. Winds emerged and began to push the sails. Time passed by fast with Elle and Klytea as we traveled by ship towards the Astoria. ¡°Enrollment is easy but its pretty hard at the same time¡±, Elle said. ¡°Was that why my parents agreed?¡±, Klytea questioned. ¡°I think so. No offense K, but I think they assumed you will fail¡±, Elle talked discouragingly. ¡°what is the enrollment test? Do we kill a monster? Or save the humanity?¡±, I asked and smiled at Klytea to ease up her mood. ¡°Actually, you pass through Magus Speculum! It is a mirror, but not an ordinary one. You step into it and disappear from this world. If you exit from other side then you are allowed to study in Monarch, but if you come out from the side that you entered the Speculum then you fail!¡±, Elle explained. ¡°what¡¯s in mirror?¡±, Klytea questioned Elle. ¡°It varies from person to person. When I entered the mirror, I was sent into a room with one door. Without thinking at all I went towards the door, opened it and exited. Luckily that door led to other side of mirror¡±, Elle said smiling. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Luck of the Irish¡±, I said out loud. ¡°What is Irish?¡±, Klytea asked. ¡°Nothing¡±, I said and sighed. There was nothing to think deeply about regarding enrollment test. If I could I would pass, if I couldn¡¯t then much more better for me. In case of failure I could go back and maybe Cohen family would let go idea of my recruitment. That would be much more better for Oscar, Leila, Luc and me to move somewhere else to live a peaceful life. Half-way to Astoria, Sea Serpents docked on a port called Hirie town. Hirie was a small town consisting of almost one thousand homes. It is the first place inhabited by humans in Lyth territory if travelled from Cohen territories. Hirie town was a resupply point for ships traveling to and from Cohen territories. There was a big market where supplies could be bought from. Elle dragged Klytea and me to a hut few kilometers away from Hirie. According to Elle, a famous fortune-teller was living there. Moreover she only tells future of those who she deems worthy. ¡°Swindler!¡±, I said looking at Elle. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±, Elle questioned me. ¡°Do you really believe in stuff like that?¡±, I answered with a question. ¡°Esmeralda has never told anything but truth.. You will see what I mean. If she accepts you, of course!¡±, she laughed at me. We hired a carriage to go to fortune-teller¡¯s hut. It was a 10 minute ride from Hirie town. We arrived in front of a small hut made out of logs and grass. It had one entrance covered with a colored curtain. ¡°Are you sure we all can fit in it?¡±, I asked Elle before entering in to the hut. ¡°Follow me¡±, she said and bended her head to enter the hut. Klytea went after Elle and I followed her. I was amazed and astonished as soon as I entered the hut. From outside it looked like a simple place which could not even fit few people inside of it. To my surprise it was like a small palace in its own. ¡°How come?!¡±, I said in astonishment looking at Elle. ¡°Hhahaa, you believe now!¡±, she replied. It was a massive place which could hold hundreds of people inside it at same time. Ground was covered in mats while there were small lamps attached to walls of hut lighting inside of it. ¡°Elle, you have come again!¡±, a voice echoed inside the hut. It had an aura which gave mystery to the holder of voice. ¡°Esmeralda, I brought two of my friends!¡±, she said and went towards the dark part of hut. Four lamps were lighted as soon as we came close to a sofa. A woman was sitting behind the sofa. Her curly hair was flowing down her shoulder. She had a small face, white skin, small lips colored in red, black eyes. ¡°Kain and Klytea¡±, she said looking at us. ¡°I¡¯m Esmeralda¡±, she introduced herself. ¡°Would you..¡±, Elle wanted to ask but her question was cut in by Esmeralda. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll¡±, she said. Esmeralda raised her arm and made a hand gesture at Klytea signalling her to come close. ¡°Let¡¯s back away a bit¡±, Elle whispered at me. We stepped few steps back and I saw Esmeralda taking hold of Klytea¡¯s hand. She was saying some things to her which brought expression of joy to her face. After few minutes, Klytea stood up and came towards us. ¡°Your turn Kain¡±, she said and smiled. I walked towards the sofa. ¡°Sit and relax, soviets!¡±, she said. I was shocked to hear that nickname. ¡°How you!¡±, I was almost paralyzed. ¡°I know many things of past¡±, Esmeralda told. I sat on ground in front of her. ¡°I saw two names. Kain and soviets. What does soviets mean?¡±, Esmeralda asked. ¡°Nothing anymore¡±, I replied. ¡°Your past is blocked. Only two names appear¡±, she said staring at me. She took a rosary from behind her using her left hand. Esmeralda threw the rosary in the space between her and me. ¡°Okay¡±, she said and continued ¡°There are two lives. Different ones. First is the soviets one which is no more.¡±. ¡°You see the intersection¡±, she showed with her right hand. ¡°Yes¡±, I replied looking at rosary. ¡°That¡¯s where Kain is born. Everything seems alright. Everything will be good. But¡±, she stopped. ¡°But what?¡±, I asked. ¡°An old man and young kid. I can¡¯t see their names but they want you besides them at all costs. They are blocking your future¡±, Esmeralda told. ¡°Is that good or bad?¡±, I asked again. ¡°Elle come here¡±, Esmeralda shouted. Elle and Klytea came close to us. Esmeralda took out an egg. ¡°Kain tell me your mother¡¯s name¡±, she asked. ¡°Leila¡±, I replied. ¡°Kain, son of Leila¡±, she said and wrote some things on the egg. Esmeralda began to whisper some words while her hand was moving around the egg. She stopped and drew a star on the edge of egg. ¡°Elle, take this egg. On your way, let Kain to lay on bed. Take a jar with half-filled water and say ¡®Pyrr, let him be free of bad fortune¡¯ then touch this egg on his head and feet. Later on crack the egg and put its contents into the jar with water. Wait for 5 or 6 hours. Later on throw the jar into the sea¡±, Esmeralda said. ¡°Now leave! I need no payment for this..¡±, was the last thing that Esmeralda said before we left. P.S: Sorry for the late release, i had my own problem IRL... P.P.S: I''m reading all of the comments, slowly but surely I''ll implement all the points raised by readers.. Thank you all! 27 - Martial Arts ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 27 ¨C Martial Arts Early August 4031. Hirie town. Lyth territory. Klytea exited first and Elle followed her out. As I was going out of the hut Esmeralda¡¯s voice echoed ¡°Do not forget difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations¡±. Insinctively I turned back but there was no presence of life within the hut. Esmeralda had disappeared. We rode our horses back to port of Hirie town. Ralf was eagerly waiting for Klytea¡¯s return. Nevertheless if anything bad had happened to Klytea, Ralf should commit suicide because Klytea¡¯s family won¡¯t kill him that easily. During the trip in Sea Serpents all our meals either were sea food or had some kind of sea ingredients in it so we decided to eat something different before boarding Sea Serpents. There was not much of a time as Sea Serpents was going to leave in less than half an hour so we bought meal from a pushcart rather than restaurant. We were served in minutes and I reckon this meal should be classified as a fast food. The soup was hot. It had meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, noodles, tofu and some other ingredients that I didn¡¯t have any idea about. I used chopsticks to grab piece of tofu to check the taste. The meal had unusually gentle spicing mixture. ¡°Outstanding¡±, I said out loud and everyone laughed. Same night, I was laying on my bed while going through Esmeralda¡¯s prophecy. I can not explain the reason but her words were stuck in my brain. I stood up and blew out the fire in the lamp. I went out of my room directly to the deck of the ship. Except steersman no soul was around. ¡°Night is for sleeping!¡±, he shouted. ¡°Aye, I know.. I just wanted fresh air¡±, I replied. He nodded in confirmation. ¡°Ain¡¯t it lonely?¡±, I asked him. ¡°He is lonely¡±, he said and raised his right arm in mast¡¯s direction. A faint light could be seen on top of the mast. Looking closely, there was a scout with a binocular checking surroundings. ¡°Lonely¡±, I whispered to myself. I roamed around the deck and ended up in one of the sides watching the sky. A gentle breeze was patting my body, giving a refreshing feeling. Unlimited numbers of stars were brightly shining upon the dark sky. Once in a while a white cloud passed by, which astounded me. Both moons were gleaming and were illuminated on waters of the sea. ¡°Beautiful¡±, I said and closed my eyes to listen to sounds of waves. ¡°It really is¡±, Klytea¡¯s voice gently disturbed the silence. I turned to see her besides me. Lights of moons were reflected on her white skin, making her look like an ice princess. ¡°She is a spoiled rich KID¡±, passed my mind. ¡°You keep impressing me¡±, she said softly. ¡°How come?¡±, I was puzzled. ¡°You seem different¡±, she answered. ¡°A romantic¡±, she added. ¡°Nah, I just couldn¡¯t sleep¡±, I said and smiled. She made few steps forward to reach me. ¡°Why are you being so selfish?¡±, I asked her without thinking at all. ¡°What you made think so?¡±, she replied instantly. ¡°It¡¯s a long journey to Astoria and not counting yourself, you are putting Ralf in danger.¡±, I said involuntarily. ¡°You still impress me, Kain¡±, she said confidently. I had a puzzled look so she kept on ¡°Ralf is a martial artist. A master. Yours truly, is almost a master level martial artist too¡±. ¡°Martial arts?¡±, I was at a loss. ¡°Yes. My grandfather is the head of Moon Bao Sect. ¡±. ¡°Come again¡±, I was clueless. ¡°Moon Bao Sect¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you do not know about Moon Bao Sect!¡±, she was angry and kind of cute. ¡°No¡±, my answer was pretty simple. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Kain, you are hopeless!¡±, she had a look as if a lightening had struck her. ¡°I was raised in Cohen manor, what or who do you think I am? An encyclopedia?¡±, I got back at her. ¡°Ask Elle, I am not going to waste time with you!¡±, she said and turned her face towards the moons. ¡°Almost master, why are you running away then?¡±, I asked with an ironic tone. ¡°I-I-I¡±, she mumbled. ¡°I want to be queen of my fate. I want to decide for myself what I am going to be, who I am going to marry¡­¡±, she had despair in her voice. ¡°Prince on the white horse¡±, I said. ¡°You sound like them!¡±, she said tears flowing from her eyes. ¡°It is not about who he will be. Craftsman, steersman, lumberjack or whatever¡­ I don¡¯t want my future husband to see me as an asset because my father is a Silverstar and my mom is the daughter of Moon Bao Sect¡¯s head.¡±, she said. ¡°But those are parts of your life that you can not deny¡±, I said. ¡°I¡¯m not denying, I just want to be free off those prejudices. Good or bad, I want to be acknowledged because of my personal traits¡±, she told me looking directly at my eyes. My right hand reached her face and using my index finger I cleared the tears from her face. ¡°Up until now, I thought you are just a spoiled rich kid. But now, I respect you for who you are Klytea¡­ and I wish you good luck!¡±, I said diligently. Thinking over I was acting like a macho. Her face blush and she ran away. ¡°I need a cigarette!¡±, I whispered. Next day, I woke up and went up to deck half-sleepily. My eyes were searching for Elle, Klytea or Ralf. All of them were absent, so I went back inside to kitchen. I had butter and cheese for breakfast. Later on I went back to my room to do physical training. I was doing callisthenic exercises, which were improving my body¡¯s balance, agility and coordination. Exercises using body weight were excellent for warm up. As soon as finishing those, I went back to deck to practice with sword and aikido/judo stances and movements. Time passed by in the blink of an eye. By the second day of September, Sea Serpents docked on Astoria¡¯s port. In the last month Klytea was putting distance between her and me. Nevertheless I saw her side which she hadn¡¯t even shown to Elle. 2nd , September, 4031. Astoria. Our group had departed Sea Serpents. ¡°Well, where are you going?¡±, Elle asked me. I took of the paper where an address was written. ¡°This is place where I need to go¡±, I answered. ¡°Do you need our help?¡±, she asked with a different tone than usual. ¡°I¡¯ll manage¡±, I said and continued ¡°this is where our paths part away.¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in enrollment test¡±, I told to Klytea and smiled. ¡°Goodbye¡±, she said and blushed. Elle had mischievous look on her face as she observed Klytea and Ralf coughed for few times. They left off leaving me behind. Even though I hadn¡¯t entered city itself, I could imagine how big Astoria is just by looking at amount of people roaming around in port. Cargo were unloaded and loaded from ships manually. Merchants and traders were shouting names and prices of their commodities. People who looked like government officials were checking out boxes for their contents. Everything was happening simultaneously, which seemed chaotic. Observing for a few moments more, I could see the system in this anarchy. ¡°City Life¡±, I whispered. P.S: Tell me your thoughts! 28 - Magus Speculum ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 28 ¨C Magus Speculum 2nd. September. 4031. Astoria. ¡°Excuse me, do you know how can I get there?¡±, I asked a passerby showing him address written on paper. According to the information that I got from passerby, I had to get into city first and from there on I could ask someone else to show me the way. There were hundreds of ships docked on port. Most of them were merchant ships with cargo from different parts of the continent; some of them were fishing ships that were bringing freshly caught fish, crabs and other marine resources. Looking around there was a 20-meter tall wall surrounding the port. I was told that there were four entrances from where I could get into Astoria. Three of those entrances were used for commercial matters while one of the entrances was used for travellers to enter the Astoria. I walked to the entrance. There were four lines where people were in queue. I stood in third line and in matter of minutes it was my turn. ¡°Kid, where¡¯s your parents?¡±, was the first question asked to me by the city official. I told them my purpose for visiting the Astoria, and showed them letter and documents that proved I was in service of the Cohen family. The other side of the wall was reflecting busy city life in more detail. The biggest building in Astoria which I saw was 7 or 8 storey tall. Rest were mainly two or three story tall buildings which were used as stores, inns, pubs, restaurants, shops, blacksmiths and so on. There were narrow and wide streets, all of them interchanging each other. It was hard to follow through streets for a first timer such as myself. I asked for directions to the address written on paper. I was told that it is in inner layer of city close to Royal Palace. At the center of Astoria Palace of Queens and Kings was built where current king or queen lived. Circling the palace were inner layers made of 2 wards. First ward was where high-ranking palace and city officials lived. On second ward, there were mansions of 6 big families which covered hectares of lands. Later on came third, fourth, fifth and other wards. Currently I was in 13th ward, which was outermost area of Astoria that was in between outer wall, and 12th ward. As each area was cut from other with big walls, I had to pass another 10 checkpoints to reach Cohen Mansion within Astoria. By the time I entered 5th ward; I was hungry and thirsty. It was hard and tiring to go through one ward to another. However, as soon as I entered 5th ward everything changed. There were less people on streets. Houses were more detail oriented and expensive looking in comparison to other wards. As I walked through the streets, I got to know that from 5th ward on elite of Astoria lived. Not all of the houses were occupied as it seems rich and powerful people from other regions had estates in here too. My stomach grumbled so I decided to enter a restaurant to eat. I ordered well-cooked steak and fried potatoes. Restaurant was clean and waiters were polite. As I paid the bill, I asked them if they could help me out with the path to 4th ward. I told the waiter that it¡¯s my first time in Astoria. Administrator of the restaurant informed me about paid carriages that could carry me directly to address. They helped me to hire a taxi carriage and from there on it took me less than an hour to reach Cohen Mansion. As we entered third ward I was astonished. There was a separate walled road that took you to second ward. In short, even people living in second ward couldn¡¯t enter third ward, as they wanted. On entrance, taxi carriage was sent back after they checked my documents. I was offered a free carriage to take me to Cohen Mansion. There was one single road which had another load intersecting it once in a while which took to one of the big family¡¯s mansion. Everywhere was covered in green grasses, exotic and fruit trees, artificial lakes and so on. I was notified as we entered the road to Cohen Mansion. It took another 20 minutes of ride as I saw a massive mansion. It was more like a palace rather than manor or mansion. Servants greeted me at door. They took my bag and one of them showed me to guest room where Kyle Cohen was having a tea with some of his friends. ¡°At long last you are here Kain. I was worried you will miss the enrollment test!¡±, Kyle said to me seeing me and servant enter the room. There were three males and two females inside the room. All of them including Kyle were wearing expensive looking clothes. They had what you call noble aura surrounding them. I just stood and smiled at Kyle Cohen. ¡°Why so long?¡±, he asked. ¡°I came on a cargo ship¡±, I replied which made all of them laugh. ¡°Cargo¡±, one of them said in irony. ¡°You should have flied to here¡±, Kyle added. ¡°Initially I was going to, but Lord Riley told me to see the world for myself¡±, I explained. My mentioning of Lord Riley¡¯s name silenced people, who were laughing. ¡°What a dreadful man¡±, passed my mind. On fifth of September, Kyle and I departed Cohen mansion to Monarch Academy. I exited manor to see be amazed of the view. Astonishingly there were two, black and white, Pegasus¡¯s instead of normal horses. Kyle¡¯s voice echoed from backside ¡°This is how you should travel!¡± We entered carriage and driver closed the door for us. He sprang to the perch and made some kind of sound which agitated pegasuses to move. First few meters, carriage moved on ground like any other vehicle but afterwards it began to elevate and fly. I was surprised and Kyle was aware of it. ¡°If you pass the test, never forget, you represent Cohen family¡±, he said to me. I nodded in confirmation. Kyle told me that Monarch Academy is located outside the Astoria, although not too far from it. I asked him about why there is a Cohen manor in here, and he said that it was compulsory. ¡°Why so?¡±, I asked again. ¡°There are lots of people employed by each family and its more like a job creation. Highly paid ones.¡±, he said and stopped for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s more like we are being taxed¡±, he laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t forget studying in Monarch Academy is an expensive thing. That¡¯s why you will be the only one with abnormal background if you can get through the mirror.¡±, Kyle said out of blue. I looked at him with wide-open eyes, trying to imitate as if listening to him thoroughly. ¡°We could have sent you to some martial arts sect or hire special teachers for you to study. But only knowledge of fire magic is in Monarch¡¯s library, and I hope you will pass exam to be able to enter it freely¡±, he said. I nodded again. ¡°We are almost there¡±, he said and I peeked from window of the carriage. Even though it was bird-view, there seemed to be lots of building covered by a large forest. ¡°It¡¯s called Monarch Forest¡±, Kyle said. ¡°It is circularly covers the whole of academy¡±, he added. ¡°You see in the middle there is a big lake, and at the center of the lake there is a high building¡±, he told. I nodded in confirmation. ¡°That is headmaster¡¯s residence¡±, he spoke showing the place with his right hand. Carriage began to float down to ground. We landed at the outside part of the forest. ¡°Why here?¡±, I asked and Kyle answered ¡°Enrollment test is being held outside the academy to show to community that everything is held fairly¡±. As we moved out of the carriage, I saw people looking at us in awe. I could see and sense envy, jealousy and even hatred in their eyes. ¡°Enrollment test is like a festival of some kind. People come to watch and academy earns a bit more from it, monetarily and morally¡±, Kyle added. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. There were few rows of stalls where foods and non-alcoholic drinks were sold. People were buying souvenirs, eating meals and drinking. I followed Kyle to meet his classmates. Even though classes began on 9th of september, I was told that it was a tradition for all of students to attend the enrollment test and go into the academy with newcomers. Karan Iltsin, Cyrus Lyth and few others were hanging out together when Kyle and I joined them. ¡°Kyle that was a magnificent entrance¡±, Cyrus said. ¡°Thanks Cyrus, I know for sure yours was much more better than that¡±, Kyle told with a straight look. ¡°Who is that?¡±, Karan asked Kyle pointing at me. ¡°I have told you about the kid who my family is going to sponsor. Its him.¡±, Kyle answered. ¡°Would you like to work for me in the future?¡±, Cyrus asked looking at me. ¡°Piss off!¡±, Kyle said. They were chatting, and I was analyzing the people. By chance, my eyes met Elle¡¯s. I nodded in greeting and she nodded back. Klytea and Ralf were besides her. Klytea smiled at me after she recognized me from distance. There were few males and many females surrounding them. ¡°Ahem! Ahem!¡±, a coughing sound echoed all around the place. Everyone¡¯s attention was turned towards the place from where voice came. There was a man floating on air. His long white hair and beard was pushed back by winds. He had grey colored one-piece clothing on him. From the length of clothing, he seemed to be tall man. ¡°I am Belin Gerfast, deputy-rector of Monarch Academy. This year I¡¯ll be looking over the fairness of the enrollment test!¡±, his voice was resounding all over the place. ¡°Mrs. Albreda¡±, he said and floating down to ground to sit on an armchair few meters away from his initial location. A woman around 40 years old stood up and walked towards the place where Belin Gerfast was giving speech. The ground beneath her shook and a pillar began to emerge taking her upwards. ¡°Earth magic?¡±, I was puzzled to see magic being used in daily matters. ¡°I¡¯m Nancy Albreda from Admission Commission of Monarch Academy. I¡¯ll be telling out the names of people who will be taking the test¡±, she said and rolled out a paper. ¡°When you name is mentioned, please come over here and stay in the line¡±, she pointed with her right hand while holding the paper with her left. ¡°Alla Alberstein...Elle Silverstar¡±, she said almost 100 names and the list was almost finished. As much as I understood she was saying names in alphabetic order. After she passed the letter ¡°K¡± I began to worry, but Kyle patted my shoulder when our eyes met each other. He smiled which decimated my worries. At the end, Mrs Albreda paused for a while before announcing in high-pitched tone ¡°Kain¡±. I stepped forward and began to walk towards the line. No surname was mentioned. People gasped in shock. There were lots of people who were commoners such as me who looked at me in awe. Most probably it was the first time in Monarch¡¯s history for a commoner to come to enrollment test. This school was made by rich people for rich people. Pillar began to fall down slowly and Mrs Albreda came down to ground level. Belin Gerfast¡¯s voice vibrated again ¡°Mrs Albreda pull off the curtain¡±. Nancy took the curtain covering three-meter tall mirror. ¡°This is the Magus Speculum¡±, Belin Gerfast spoke again. ¡°It will be the judge of whether you are eligible to attend Monarch!¡±, he said again. ¡°Moreover, it will show us what you will face within the world it will send you too... I would like to underline that some of you may see your elemental spirits that are binded to you in the mirror so don¡¯t panic and try to communicate with them!¡±, Belin Gerfast warned us. ¡°Mrs Alberda you may begin!¡±, he ordered. ¡°Alla Alberstein, come forward!¡±, Mrs Alberda spoke. A girl almost as tall as me went towards the mirror. I couldn¡¯t see her face. She had long blonde hair which was almost up to her waist. Moreover she had slim figure. ¡°Enter!¡±, Mrs Alberda ordered. Alla went into mirror. As soon as she entered, top part of mirror shined. Hologram was visualized on top of mirror showing Alla inside the mirror. She was inside a forest filled with fruit trees. Apple, pear, banana and other fruits could be seen through the hologram. A canary appeared out of nowhere. It began to fly over Alla¡¯s head and landed on her shoulder. Alla brought up both her palms together. Canary flew into her palms. She was talking and saying something but unfortunately we couldn¡¯t hear anything. Canary flew away and Alla walked for a bit to see an iron door. She opened and exited. She came up from the other side of mirror. ¡°Congratulations Alla Alberstein! Beautiful elemental spirit!¡±, Mrs Alberda said and pointed towards a place for Alla to go. Another potential student was called and he jumped into mirror in high morale. Hologram was brought up again. The kid was taken onto some island. Few meters away from the place where he was sent a wooden door was located. He went to open the door and enter it. Magus Speculum shined in red, and the kid exited from the same side as he had entered. ¡°Failed¡±, Mrs Alberda said without caring for kids psyche and emotions. He began to cry and run away to his parents who were attending the enrollment ceremony. After some failures and successes, it was Klytea¡¯s turn. She stepped into the mirror. She was on top of a cliff with no way back. She walked to tip of cliff. She looked down the cliff, and there was nothing but darkness. Few meters away from cliff¡¯s tip, floating on air, there was an open door. She went back and began to run. She jumped up towards the door as soon as she stepped on tip of cliff. Somersaulting on air for a few times she directly entered into the door and exited from other side of the mirror. ¡°Congratulations Ms. Silverstar¡±, Mrs Alberda said and told Klytea to go to location where successful entrants were sitting. ¡°Zepho Kig, come forward¡±, Mrs Alberda said. I couldn¡¯t determine whether it was a male or female as the person was wearing a robe, which covered all of his or her body. Zepho entered into the mirror. It was snowing hard and Zepho began to walk. There were rocks on Zepho¡¯s right and left. Most probably it was some kind of mountain road. Zepho stopped moving, and two bright blue eyes appeared. Blue eyes were getting closer to him second by second. Because of hard snowfall it was hard to see the body of moving creature. A white wolf appeared and circled around Zepho. Everyone gasped in shock and whispered. ¡°White Wolf¡±, people were telling to each other. I turned to look at Kyle. Even they were amazed. Zepho walked after white wolf. It showed the way towards the door, and Zepho exited the realm of mirror to step out from other side of it. ¡°Congratulations Mr Kig¡±, Mrs Alberda said. In the blink of an eye the list was finished and I was the only one left. There were kids who had smiles on their faces because of their success. Cries of failed kids could be heard too. People were beginning to depart as most of them had already forgotten about me. ¡°Kain, come forward!¡±, Mrs Alberda said. I stepped forward. My heart was beating faster than normal. It was the first time that I was excited this much in a long time. My eyes met Klytea¡¯s and she brought up her right arm up to raise my morale. I blinked once, very slowly, in confirmation. I stood in front of the mirror. ¡°Enter!¡±, Mrs Alberda¡¯s voice echoed in my ears. ¡°Here I come¡±, I said and stepped into the mirror. P.S: Hows the story so far? In case of action, next chapter will be full of it! 29 - Insight ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 29 ¨C Insight ¡°Gulp¡±, ¡°Gulp¡±, ¡°Gulp¡±, sounds came up as I entered into the Magus Speculum. It was just as though I was swallowed by the mirror. For a moment, I was in a void. No time, no space, no location. My senses were perplexed. Next instant, I was thrown to a place which astonished me. A small road was paved in front of me. It consisted of nothing but sand. On my right, flames were burning and reaching unbeliavable heights. My eyes couldn¡¯t percieve how tall the flames were. On my left, waves similar to ones which could be observed when tsunami¡¯s occur were topping each other. The waves were no smaller in height in comparison to flames. The road in front of me seemed to be the distinct border between them. At first sight, it reminded me the story of Moses. God orders and Nile parts into two making a way for Moses and Jews to go through. I turned back to see the same thing. Turning another 180 degrees, I began to walk. Relentlessly for hours I walked but nothing came up. My heart was beginning to panic when I heard the voice. ¡°STOP!¡±, a loud and stalwart voice called out to me. I was frozen and stood still until the sound was diminished. Flames of fire were replaced by flowing lavas in the blink of an eye. Likewise storm stilled to a murmur and the waves were hushed. A red rock was lying on top of flowing lavas. Its size and exterior texture had mesmerized me. It looked like perfectly preserved animal fossil. Observing it for a moment more, I saw its tail. A long tail full of spikes. Its body was protected by layer over layer of hand sized overlapping ceramic textured skin. I was amazed at sight in front of me. My jaw almost had dropped, seeing a creature of legends in front of me. It raised its wings and flapped them once. I backed for few steps, and a hot breeze hit my body. Its neck moved and I saw dragon¡¯s face. Until now, its face was on the other side of its body so I was not aware of what it was. However, after showing its face to me I recognized it for what it was. ¡°Dragon¡±, I said in awe. It opened its eyes. Blows of streaming smoke came out of its nostrils and ¡°Zah¡¯hak is my name...¡±, it whispered. ¡°And I¡¯m Sobek!¡±, another voice came out from my left which startled me. I turned my face to see a giant alligator floating on air in a circular movement. It whistled for some reason and dived into water. After a second emerged from water and began to float on it. ¡°Amazing reserves of mana¡±, Sobek said. ¡°Yes, almost on par with me¡±, Zah¡¯hak added. ¡°Isn¡¯t it way too much for a human?¡±, Sobek questioned. ¡°It seems someone has bestowed it upon him.¡±, Zah¡¯hak replied. They were talking to each other as if I was not there. ¡°Human, you haven¡¯t introduced yourself, yet!¡±, Sobek said to me. His voice was more elegant and approachable than Zah¡¯hak¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m Kain. Its an honour to meet both of you¡±, I replied. ¡°Kain...Your mana capacity is big which helped you to be binded with both of us. Your character seems to have virtues that represent us too... But you lack... You lack¡±, Zah¡¯hak was cut by Sobek, ¡°Insight¡±. ¡°It¡¯s been tens of thousands of years that we are stuck in spirit realm... Its soo boring here... We would love to see the mortal world again but there was none with potential to summon us... And here you are with capacity but no insight...¡±, Sobek spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What do you mean?¡±, I asked. ¡°It means that if it continues like this you will never reach the level where you can summon us!¡±, Sobek replied. I was speechless. The reason being I didn¡¯t understand a single word that they were talking about. ¡°Simply put, you have the power but you lack the means to utilize it¡±, Zoh¡¯hak spoke again. ¡°What I am going to do then? And why should I summon you?¡±, I asked. ¡°Luckily, Mirror of Earth and Heaven brought us together... We will help you. Nevertheless, its up to you whether you want to reach the heavens or stay in the deep hole where you are now.¡±, Zoh¡¯hak explained in an arrogant manner. A royal blue colored light appeared in between Sobek¡¯s eyes and a red one on Zah¡¯hak¡¯s. Both of those lights detached from them and flew towards me. They began to circle around each other in front of me. For a short while, they continued their circular motion which attracted me. Immediately they changed their direction and struck at me. Both of them successfully entered my body. I could feel them inside me flowing with my blood through my body. One moment they were in my foot while next in my hands. Because of pain I couldn¡¯t support my body and dropped to my knees. Forcing my arms to support me, I was breathing heavily. Tears emerged out of my eyes. My hands were forcefully grasping sand below them because of pain. Saliva was pouring out of my mouth. Next moment, I felt both of those lights in my heart. I clenched my teeth together, so as not to cry. ¡°Bam¡±, both of those particles of light clashed together. They disappeared and as a result I sensed unexpected feeling of relief and ecstasy. I was still breathing heavily, although it was not because of pain but of exhaustion. I moved my head up to see both of them. ¡°We will depart now! Don¡¯t tell to anyone about us!¡±, Zah¡¯hak said and disappeared. Flames began to fire in the place where Zah¡¯hak was lying. I turned to see high waves overlapping each other in the place where Sobek was swimming. ¡°And for fuck¡¯s sake, honor me when you use water or wind affiliated magic... what the heck is falcon¡¯s beak?¡±, Sobek¡¯s voice echoed. ¡°An alligator who thinks her reputation is blown because I have named attack¡¯s name after a falcon¡±, passed my mind. I laughed. I laughed to my heart¡¯s content. Tears flowed out of my eyes, ¡°what an irony¡±, I thought. Raising both my hands upwards to my eyes, I cleaned them from leftover tears using my palms. In the process, few of the eyelashes were stuck to my palms which I blew to get rid of. Not far from me, a door appeared out of nowhere. A light was being emitted from behind the door. I walked up to door and opened it. A very bright light almost blinded me, which I protected my eyes by covering them with my left arm. My eyes closed, I stepped into the light through the door. I was blind as my eyes were still closed. I breathed in. Air that flowed through my nose felt different than usual. Even though my eyes were closed, I didn¡¯t feel the bright light anymore. So I opened my eyes to see that I am back. Everything felt different. I could sense the flow of air around me as if it was part of me. I felt it. I felt the flux of mana in it. ¡°Is this what they were talking about? Is this insight?¡±, I murmured. It was some kind of profound knowledge that was bestowed upon me by Sobek and Zah¡¯hak. As it was not something that I worked to acquire I didn¡¯t know what exactly it is. This new ¡®sense¡¯ that I have obtained was part of me like my arms, legs, head or nose. It was not something that I had to activate or deactivate. Turning around to face the people, I saw the Magus Speculum. I passed by it. Students who had passed, Monarch Academy staff who were overseeing the test and present students were watching at me with dull eyes. When I entered the mirror, there were lots of people who came to watch and enjoy their time but right now there were few left. Sun was setting down from west and sky was changing its color to light dark. ¡°How many hours has it been?¡±, I said to myself. ¡°Congratulations Kain!¡±, Mrs Alberda said and yawned. ¡°I though you had gone crazy when you stopped and laughed... Walking for hours within darkness just on a straight path...Low of the low... Nevertheless, congratulations!¡±, she added which puzzled me. I looked around but saw only dull and angry eyes staring at me except one. A woman who seemed to be very old, was watching me with keen eyes. Her face, hands and any other visible skin were covered in wrinkles. Her body was bent down from waist being supported by both hands which were grabbing onto a hand-stick. Her clothes were worn and dirty. Her hair was filled with dust and dirt. Except the eyes. Sharp eyes that vibrated with life. Our eyes met each other and she smiled. I was asked to join the group of students who had passed the examination. Old students went ahead into the academy. Mrs Alberda moved over to stand in front of our group. ¡°Congrats again to all of you! Right now we will be heading over to palaces where as first year students you will reside during the next two semesters of study. ¡±, she said. ¡°Did she said palaces?¡±, I said out loud. ¡°Yes¡±, a male voice confirmed. Right now I was standing at the last row of the group where there was only one more guy and me. He had short red hair, long nose, small mouth and big ears. I haven¡¯t seen ears as big as his in both of my lives. They looked like radio transmitters that sent message to other parts of galaxy. I mean that big. ¡°I¡¯m Kain¡±, I said and raised my hand. He shook it and replied ¡°Arman Crux¡±. ¡°Nice to meet you¡±, I stated. ¡°Same bro! As we will be lodging together I¡¯ll call you bro from now on!¡±, he added mischievously. ¡°Why together? What about palaces?¡±, I asked Arman. ¡°She will tell¡±, Arman pointed at Mrs Alberda. ¡°Arman Crux, Sofia Lim and Kain head over to admission¡¯s building and wait for me at my office, rest of you follow me¡±, Mrs Alberda shouted. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. At admission¡¯s building we were told that as the new students with the least magical potential we would be living together in the same house. The only way to change the accommodation to one of the grand palaces and have servants is through improving our results at the end of the year tournament. I reckon Zah¡¯hak and Sobek had made sure that no one could see them through the Magus Speculum. Everyone had seen only the path that I walked on, so the waves and flames had to be part of Zah¡¯hak and Sobek which were obstructed from their vision. I stood silently watching Arman speaking non-stop to chubby Sofia. Their faces reflected mixed emotions. First one was the happiness of being enrolled in to Monarch Academy. Second one was misery and unsecure looks about being the ones with the worst potential. They may have been son and daughter of some influential family back in their city or region but in here it meant nothing. First time in their lives they were on their own. Although Arman was trying hard to talk and forget the position he was in. However Sofia was stressful and she was clutching her hands together and pressing her fingers hard on one other. Skin on her hands had turned red. Mrs Alberda entered the room after few hours. We followed her out of the admission¡¯s building. ¡°You all should feel honored to be accepted into Monarch and work hard to improve your place in academy rankings¡±, was the only thing she said to us until we reached the house. We were standing in front of one story house. Our lodge was located at the backside of the Monarch Academy, far away from everything. To reach the closest building we would be walking for half-an-hour or so. It was late night and mushroom like clouds were on the way of lights reflected from both moons. As a result, outer design of the house was not properly visible. Mrs Alberda left after showing us to door. We entered and lighted candles to check out the house. The house was breaking apart. Doors, ceiling, walls of the house were rusty and every step taken would arise a creepy sound. Surprisingly Sofia was not afraid but I felt the dread and fear in Arman¡¯s voice. There were three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a guestroom with kitchen. I went to sleep. I woke up about sunrise. Stayed in bed for few minutes and later woke up to do few exercises to stretch my muscles. I changed my clothes and departed my room to see Sofia and Arman¡¯s coming out of their rooms. For a small and chubby girl, Sofia had a very attractive face. Black long hair and black eyebrows were distinctive part of her charm. Sofia smiled as she saw me. Arman was still yawning. Dark circles under his eyes and swollen eyelids were clearly visible on his face. ¡°And my parents are proud that their son is a student of Monarch!¡±, he said in irony. ¡°Thank God they haven¡¯t seen me in this state!¡±, he added. We walked almost for an hour to reach cafeteria. Except new students everyone wore uniforms. Supposedly today after the orientation we would be given our uniform¡¯s too. As soon as we entered the cafeteria, eyes gathered on us. ¡°They are looking down at us¡±, Arman whispered. Sofia¡¯s face had mixed features of confusion, anger and pity. ¡°Who cares man¡±, I said out loud to ease them up. Orientation was not much important because in the introduction we were told that we will be walking around the academy all day long to get know the place. I swayed from the group and asked a student whereabouts of library. There were no classes until 9th of september so most of the students were hanging around, playing and chatting. I passed by girls who were giggling and most probably talking about their first love or maybe first kiss experience. Close to library I met a group of tough looking male students who were arguing loudly about magic spells. The library was gigantic. It was constructed similar to the one which I been into in Metropolis. Although size-wise it was totally different from the guild library in Metropolis. Doors opened to the sides automatically as I closed upon them. A wooden desk was located few meters away from entrance. ¡°Assistance¡±, was written on top of it. I walked to the desk but there was no-one on sight. There was a bell on desk which I touched but no voice came up. I violently shook it and a girl jumped up. ¡°Stop it, will you!¡± ¡°How are you Elle¡±, I said. ¡°Kain, what are you doing here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in orientation?¡± ¡°I passed... gotta learn you know! By the way, were you sleeping?¡± She giggled. ¡°nobody comes over and I was a bit sleepy... Let¡¯s call it power nap!¡±, she said smiling. ¡°Yea, I¡¯m here to borrow books¡±, I told her. ¡°You will be issued with student cards after lunch so, I can¡¯t let you borrow books.. But it should be alright if you read them here..¡±, she explained. ¡°Alright, thanks Elle¡±, I said and turned to go to search for book but was cut by Elle. ¡°Do you know how to use Dex?¡±, she asked. ¡°You mean the aquarium?¡±, I replied with a question. ¡°That¡¯s called dex, aquarium is glass-sided tank where fish or other marine animals are kept¡±, she answered with her nose up in air with pinocchio¡¯s arrogance. ¡°All same to me!¡±, I said and went over to dex. ¡°Fire magic spell¡±, I said looking at water within the dex. Only one result came up which shocked me, as I was told all the fire related magic information could be found in here. Library seemed to have no end but there was only one result displayed. Nevertheless, I used gondola to reach the place where the book was. It was a small book of 40 pages. I skimmed through most of it, as there was nothing but general information about fire magic and how dangerous it was. Fortunately, chant of a single spell was recorded at the last page of the book. ¡°Fire Breathing Spell¡±, was written on top of the page. I went through the content and it really was a proper spell. I read it for a few times and began to memorize the chanting. I left the book in its place and used gondola to get back to entrance after I knew the wording of the spell by heart. There was another female student who was changing her place with Elle. Elle offered me to go to cafeteria with her to eat lunch and join the orientation group as I will be issued a school identification card and few pairs of school uniforms. I nodded in agreement and we left. Luckily, new students just had arrived to cafeteria as Elle and I reached it. I joined Sofia and Arman who were bored to death after sightseeing the buildings. ¡°You made a great choice, mate¡±, Arman said and Sofia nodded in agreement. We ate and left with the group to the admission¡¯s office. All of us were given a small ring which was core of a low level wild husky. It could store up to 8 items. Likewise it acted as our student identification within the academy. I saw Klytea hanging out with female students. Our gazes met and I made a hand sign to say hello. She stuck out her tongue as if she was a five year old. Later on we were given 4 student uniforms and we were let free for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, we had to come to admission¡¯s office to apply for our courses. Everyone scattered in groups to enjoy themselves, while Sofia, Arman and I were left alone after everyone scattered around. ¡°Are we being alienated?¡±, I said looking at Sofia. ¡°It seems so¡±, Arman said. I sighed and left them to go back to our house. House was at border with the forest. There was a small pond close by. The wood that was used to build the house had changed its color to dark grey with some black parts on it. From a distance it looked like a ghost house. I went into my room and extracted uniforms and shoes from sack ring. Placing them in the dresser, I went to the back of the house. I was sitting at the back of the house facing the thick forest. Half-closing my eyes I began to meditate. For some time I lost the track of time and was consumed by meditation. ¡°Fire in the air, fire in the ground. I use the fire that can not be found, It comes out of my mouth in a blow......my fire will show¡±, I chanted the long spell out of my memory and took a deep breathe in. As I exhaled from my mouth, instead of air, fire came out. It was a few centimeters long flame but nevertheless I had succeeded at first try. I chanted again and bound it to name ¡°Dragon¡¯s Wrath¡±. Sun was setting down. Not wanting to lose time anymore, I stood up and said ¡°Dragon¡¯s Wrath¡±. My lungs were filled with air. I felt the warmness raising up from my waist. I exhaled and a large flame topping almost 6 meters long and 10 meters wide was blown. The insight what I was bestowed upon was helping me out. During few tries the best that I accomplished was few centimeters long flames, but without thinking much I did understand that it was not about how hard I try to inhale and exhale. It was all about my concentration. Actually, having my lungs filled with air and breathing normally had very small effect in spell¡¯s power and size. I was so much into the newly acquired fire spell that I had forgotten to go to eat and sun had already set. Feeling tired, I lay on grassy ground for a while. Breeze was caressing my face and I felt asleep. P.S: Last chapter, I told there going to be some fight scenes, but unfortunately this chapter took longer than I thought it would so I''ll skip the fighting part to the next chapter.. P.P.S: I''m open and welcome all kinds of review, suggestions, criticisms and so on... But it doesn''t mean that you can write "This is shit, and you are blablabla"... so please whenever you want to express yourself try to stay in between civil line.. 30 - Extortion ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 30 ¨C Extortion I was startled by the sounds of the crackling wood branches. Opening my eyes, I avoided doing anything rush so not to attract attention. ¡°Sssh! I said, fucking quite!¡±, a male voice resounded. It was dark and my vision was limited. Likewise the other group that was moving behind our house haven¡¯t noticed me because I was lying on the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t see, maybe we shall fire the torch?¡±, I heard a female voice whispering to the others. ¡°Not yet, let¡¯s go a little bit more... After we are far away from the house!¡±, another male voice muttered back. There were 7 people and four of them were carrying something. One of them was moving ahead of the group while two who seemed to be females, as I saw them wearing skirts, were moving behind the group. They had walked quite a while when I grabbed my katana and began to walk after them before I lost them from my sight. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t follow anyone and I¡¯m a person who stays the heck away from another person or group¡¯s business affairs. However, this time it was different. First of all, our house was located far away from the campus while it was not the only place to do shady stuff. That was why the first question popped up in my mind ¡°Why are they here?¡±. Next thing that came to my mind was ¡°Are they going to frame us?¡±. You know they may carry a dead body or some kind of valuable thing. If it is found behind our house, then the first to be question would be me and the rest. They went into woods and red light was reflected out of the forest. Although it was small and dim light which couldn¡¯t be observed from far away, but was enough to lighten the place. I bent down and began to crawl to the place. The outer part of the forest was filled with big oak trees. Inch by inch, I was sliding through the grass like a snail. I reached behind a big oak tree and began to monitor the people. A male student with big build was mercilessly hitting the person lying on ground. ¡°Enough, enough!¡±, another male student cried out and added ¡°We need him alive!¡±. ¡°Hmph! whatever¡±, the student with the big build bent down and took the bag out of victim¡¯s head. ¡°Arman¡±, I whispered. His mouth was covered tightly with a rope so that he can¡¯t talk. Both of his arms were bound tightly near his waist from backside. Arman wanted to move, tried his best but couldn¡¯t as his legs were tied with rope too. Actually the more he moved, the more he moaned in pain. ¡°Grab him¡±, one of the female students ordered. The one with the big build seized Arman¡¯s shoulder and made him sit on his bottom. ¡°Do you remember me?¡±, female said looking at Arman. He nodded quite a few times. Another one was going to hit on Arman¡¯s spine, when the girl stopped him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you Arman!¡±, she said. ¡°None of us want to hurt you.. Do we?¡±, she said and looked at others. They were laughing and nodding. I still couldn¡¯t understand why they had Arman in this situation. ¡°Your grandfather is old. In few years he will die... Maybe more than a few but he will eventually. You are the only heir to the Crux Trading Company, and we as your friends would want to protect you. Wouldn¡¯t we?¡± she asked again. All of them were laughing sinisterly. ¡°Now, this thing which happened¡±, she said spreading her arms and showing around. ¡°It was not to hurt you. We just wanted to show you what may happen to you... In here, in academy and after the academy... There are bad people out there who would cut your arm or leg... Who is going to protect you if something like that happens?¡±, she was manipulating a 12 year old kid using his fears. ¡°Are we friends?¡±, she asked Arman looking at his eyes. Arman¡¯s face was covered in sweats as big as bean seeds. He was sweating as if the melted snows were flowing down the mountain. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Untie the rope so he can reply¡±, she ordered. One of the male¡¯s went forward to untie the rope covering Arman¡¯s mouth. I¡¯m not a hero. I don¡¯t like hero¡¯s. I knew Arman for a few days. He is not a bad kid but not a bright one either. I¡¯m a realist. I wouldn¡¯t go against 7 students for Arman¡¯s sake. There was nothing that bound us together except the house we are living in. We ain¡¯t no friends, either. Nevertheless, I¡¯m an opportunist. I was going to take the advantage of the situation. If there is a gold mine under my house, I owned it and I would rip apart any hands that made a move on that mine. ¡°Extortion¡±, I said out loud and walked out from behind the oak tree. All of them were frozen and shocked. I could see that reflected on their faces. Unsheathing my katana, I walked to stop few meters away from them. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±, the main girl shouted. ¡°Does it matter?¡±, I said and continued ¡°Does my identity change the dare situation that you guys are in?¡± I took a breath and followed my talk not giving them chance to retaliate ¡°Moreover, does my identity would cover up for your criminal activities?¡±. ¡°Kids¡±, I whispered to myself. I could handle them with words. No need to sh... Instantly, the student with big build tried to jump onto me. Unfortunately for him, my right arm moved instinctively. Katana slashed in the blink of an eye, and cut his right arm into two. ¡°ARGHHH¡±, he screamed in pain and fall down to ground. Blood was spurting out of his arm while his hand that was cut moments before stayed motionless. ¡°And I though there won¡¯t be a need to shed blood!¡±, I told in cold manner. Fear, despair, anxiety, anger, grief, adrenaline rush had done their job on my opponents. Meanwhile, Arman was sitting like he has been hit by a lightening. ¡°I hope you guys have a potion to heal him!¡±, I said calmly. ¡°I....I... I have¡±, the other female said, shivering in fear. I made one step back and with my left arm pointed her towards the guy with big build. She made a hand move and two potions appeared. Blue and green glass bottles showed up in her hand out of nowhere. She ran to the student and poured contents of both potions into his mouth. Slowly his cries ended and his arm regenerated. Everyone was in shock. They were devastated. Crying and trembling. ¡°Does anyone know that you guys are here?¡±, I asked the main girl. Her head moved right and left, meaning nobody knew. ¡°Good, I can kill you all and not even a soul will know what had happened!¡±, I said and grabbed from second girl¡¯s hair. Our noses almost touched each other. Tears were flowing out of her eyes but she didn¡¯t cried out loud. ¡°Do you want to die?¡±, I asked her. ¡°No..No.. Please¡±, she cried. I released her hair and she fall down to my feet. She was begging for her life. ¡°All of you are better mages than me... But I have a sword.. A sharp sword!¡±, I said calmly. ¡°Repent.. Ask him to forgive you all¡±, I said pointing my katana at Arman. ¡°Else you all die¡±, I stopped. I could see that they were older than us by one or two years. It was not the right way to treat kids. As this experience will be engraved in their memories for a long time. They will do their best to avoid Arman or me in the future. ¡°I have crippled them mentally, haven¡¯t I?¡±, passed my mind. Some of them could even commit suicide. But who cares? They begged Arman, as if he was a God and they were his worshipers. After few minutes, I said "Get the fuck out of here!". They scattered and ran. Ran, ran and ran. Dribbled and hit the ground. They clashed with oak trees. But they ran. They ran for their lives! P.S: An early release which I enjoyed writing.. P.P.S: Tell me your thoughts, which parts could I improve? Where not to focus at all? 31 - Single ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 31 ¨C Single An event, such as the one which I saw before meddling in, may have traumatic effects on Arman. He had gone through kidnapping, bashing and threatening for his life where he was helpless to retaliate. In short, his brain had gone through so much stress that his nerves may have snapped or are going to snap any moment. I think that was the sole reason why he was still sitting on ground and was looking at me with those big sheepish eyes. I am not a psychologist, but I hope things that occurred tonight were not going to affect his future life to worse. I made few steps towards Arman, bent a bit and raised my arm. He grabbed my hand and stood up. I didn¡¯t speak at all because I wanted to see whether he is still sane. ¡°Thanks¡±, Arman muttered. ¡°It¡¯s alright¡±, I replied and smiled. ¡°I thought I am...¡±, Arman stopped his eyes got watery. ¡°Thanks Kain¡±, he told while tears were coming out of his eyes. I patted his shoulder with my left hand and we headed back to our house. That night Arman slept on couch in guest room. 9th September 4031. Monarch Academy Early in the morning Sofia, Arman and me left our house to cafeteria for breakfast. We were planning to go to admission¡¯s office to apply to classes afterwards. However, what took my interest was that for the last few days that I was in Monarch every single male or female servant, worker or part-timer in academy was looking at me with different eyes than usual. They were much more friendlier with me in regards to other students. By all means, they tried not to offend anyone but in my case I could see them smiling at me from bottom of their hearts, helping me out in every single possible way. I didn¡¯t have the chance to ask one of them what was happening as either Sofia or Arman was with me almost at all times which restricted my communication with servants and workers of the academy. After the breakfast we went to admission¡¯s office to chose and enroll in classes. Front side of the admission¡¯s building, almost up to its door, was enclosed by small stalls where senior students were advertising their clubs. Some of them would go as far as trying to force newcomer¡¯s to join their clubs. Because of their soft attitudes Sofia and Arman were almost scared the shit out of them by senior students who tried to grab and forcefully sign them to god knows what club they were advertising. Somehow after going through the herd of students shouting and screaming about their club¡¯s, we made it into the admission¡¯s building. According to the booklet given to me at admission¡¯s office, maximum possible classes to be chosen were numbered to be three during one year of study. Moreover I had to choose a club to join which could be changed in future at any time. Booklet was the only thing that explained what was going on so I was immersed in it. After reading the last paragraph I turned to see Sofia and Arman missing. ¡°Most probably they have enrolled already and went to join a club¡±, passed my mind. Without losing another moment, I grabbed enrollment form from the corner and began to fill it. I wrote down personal information about my self, and inserted all the classes which I was going to attend. First class that I intended to study was History 1A. Simply put it was going to be about history of Pyrr continent and at the end of the year I had to write a thesis on any given subject. Second class was named Magic 101. This class was going to be about spells, chants, incatations and so on. Third class was named Magic 102. The different between 102 and 101 was that in this class it was going to be all about weapons and hand-to-hand combat. I assume this is where the distinction between a warrior and mage came up. Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t want to speculate about it, as I was clueless. I gave in my enrollment paper and was authorized momentarily to join the given classes from next day on. The only thing was left to join a club. I departed the admission¡¯s office to see the everlasting chaos. Recruitment was a tough job to do. I saw few of the new students join the club because the senior who was doing to recruitment was a member of very influential family and ¡°forced¡± them to enter the club. I had lots of students coming up to me but none of them insisted as they got to know who I am. I was wearing uniform so my peasant background was covered but after telling them my name more or less they tried to avoid me. I went through one stall to another as most of the clubs were not to my taste. Close the end of the line, there were two people sitting on stools close to the table. Their hands were pressing onto their heads. They were playing a board game. I stood by to observe them. Usual chess rules applied to this game although the figures were different. Instead of king and queen there was a dragon and a crocodile. Rooks, bishops and pawns were replaced by figures of orcs, priests and foot soldiers. Knights remained same as in normal chess. Design of the board was a bit different from a normal chess from the old world. Opposite sides of the board were made to look like walls of a city with two big towers on each side. I watched them play for almost an hour. A very interesting game was going on. The student to my left was doing a great job by making extra-ordinary moves to deceive the guy to my right. I was so immersed into the game play that when the guy to my right touched the orc on h3 unintentionally I yelled ¡°Nah.. not that one¡±. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. It was as if life disappeared. Instantly everyone stopped talking. After I shouted, I heard few whispers. That¡¯s it. Total silence. Both of the players moved their hands from their heads and lifted up their heads in my direction like a slow-witted schoolgirls trying to collect their thoughts in an effort to understand the teacher¡¯s question. The guy sitting to my right was Kyle Cohen while the one to my left was Cyrus Lyth. It was an awkward moment. ¡°Should have stayed silent¡±, passed my mind. Cyrus began to laugh. ¡°You guys teach peasant how to play shahmat?¡±, he said looking at Kyle. ¡°Can you win?¡±, Kyle asked me disregarding Cyrus. ¡°I can try¡±, I said as there were not so many pieces left on the board. He waved his head implying for me to continue the game in his stead. There were not so many important and powerful pieces from both sides left, nevertheless I could sway the ending of the game. There was a chance and I was going to give a shot. Kyle was playing with blacks while Cyrus was controlling the white ones. I was left with a crocodile(queen), one knight, two orcs, and one priest. Cyrus had an extra knight and priest in comparison to me. Although I had 6 foot soldiers whereas he had four of them. Anyway, to their surprise I made my first move with crocodile moving him to the opposite side. I saw a sleazy smile on Cyrus¡¯s face. However I continued to play as usual. In three moves I intentionally sacrificed crocodile to get a tactical advantage over him. Cyrus took the bait. After two more moves, Kyle shouted in my stead ¡°mate!¡±. Cyrus stood up. He had a casual face expression. I didn¡¯t see any anger or other complexion in his face. Cyrus raised his right hand, and I shook it. ¡°Good game¡±, he said and I replied ¡°Likewise¡±. ¡°Welcome to Shahmat club, Kain¡±, he said and left dragging Kyle with himself. Same night, I met Sofia and Arman back in the house. They were thrilled to bits after learning about my experience in club search. Actually they had heard it from others but wanted to confirm it with me. It was good to see Arman smiling and talking. I was happy for him overcoming the trauma that he had faced. I was dumbfounded when I heard them having Magic 101 classes but avoiding 102. It seems warrior classes were not that popular with the students. Next day, we attended Magic 101 all together. It was much of a introductory class so I didn¡¯t get to know much. Day after it was history class. Same thing happened over there too, although Sofia and Arman were not attending history. On Thursday, 12th of september, I woke up earlier than usual. I run around our house for 10 laps, did push-ups and pull-ups. Sofia and Arman were sleeping so I left to cafeteria by myself. There were not much people eating and I didn¡¯t know any of them so I ate by myself and left to Magic 102 class. There were 10 students attending Magic 102 out of all the newcomers. Klytea was there too. She came up to me as soon as I entered the classroom. We chatted a bit and were telling each other about our experiences when a young female entered the room. She was around 1.70 meter¡¯s tall. She had small hazel eyes, dark black hair and brownish skin. Most of her body was covered in ninja style clothing. Overall, she may not be categorized as conventionally pretty but you know what they say, beauty''s only skin deep. ¡°In a row¡±, she ordered and pointed out for us to get in line. By the time we got into line she began to talk ¡°If you had just knife... one knife... and...and around 20 enemies had circled around you¡±. I was standing at the end of the line farthest from her, so thank god, she went towards the first one on line. I can¡¯t remember whether it was a girl or boy, but teacher screamed. Her voice had composition of a monster from hell. ¡°What would you do?¡±, she yelled her nose touching the nose of the student. Another girl began to cry when she asked the same question to her. One by one she was coming up to me. It was Klytea¡¯s turn now, and she was the only obstacle after which I would be teacher¡¯s prey. ¡°What would you do? Ha?¡±, she yelled. ¡°I..I...I stab myself?¡±, Klytea questioned. ¡°Dead, you are all dead!¡±, she screamed. ¡°Next¡±, she screamed and came to face me. ¡°What would you do kid?¡±, she screamed. ¡°Not married. You are single, aren¡¯t you?¡±, I said to her. Bam... I was knocked unconscious. P.S: Sorry for late release! P.P.S: (a) I''m going to write my thoughts about Kain and development of the story. Firstly, actually the most important thing is that I am not planning to make him tooo OP in a chapter or two.. What I mean is, it is going to take time and hardships for him to attain a level or two while he gets stronger... So don''t expect a character (like in other stories) who is 11 years old and kills an army of a kingdom using only his/her left hand.. isn''t that too unrealistic? (b) second point to be explained is that on first few chapters there were way too many POV''s (according to readers).. After chapter 8 or 9, I cut all of them down which puts me in a hard position when describing characters... I''m not planning to bring up different POVs but storyline is going to be VERY SLOW for a while for all of you get who is who.. thank you all for supporting the story by reading it...,. THANKS THANKS THANKS!!! 32 - Spar ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 32 ¨C Spar Shirt of the uniform, especially necklines, was sweated. I opened my eyes slowly to see I was lying on ground under the hot sun. ¡°At last, the joker has woken up!¡±, I heard teacher saying. I think I slept over after she knocked me out. I was squeezing my eyelids to force wake up from somber sleep. ¡°Halt... Line up¡±, she shouted. I heard fast footsteps. ¡°Little princess wants to sleep more?¡±, she said again lowering her to look at me. Our eyes were connected, neither her nor me blinking at all. I stood up supporting my body with both arms. My head was still hurting, pain concentrating over my left eye as if I was slammed with a warhammer. ¡°I¡¯m Kain¡±, I said in sweet tone to introduce myself and ease the intense air. Other students were lined up, their eyes filled up with terror. ¡°She has to be a rough and crazy¡±, passed my mind. ¡°Today¡¯s last sparring will be between Klytea and Kain¡±, teacher said and winked at Klytea. She made so that I could see. She was doing it intentionally. ¡°It¡¯s to check your abilities¡±, she said and continued looking at my katana ¡°no weapons and magic spells¡±. Others dispersed right and left to make way for me. We were in the middle of big arena. The ground was solid but I saw wind blowing sands. ¡°You start when I say so¡±, teacher said. ¡°I have potions so don¡¯t worry about breaking him into pieces¡±, she added smiling at Klytea. Sweats were flowing down from my forehead as if the rivers were streaming down from top of mountains at spring. There were few meters in between Klytea and me. She stood in a stance which resembled a panther or tiger. A wild cat. I had never seen something like that before, so that got my interest. In comparison to her I was just casually standing. ¡°Begin¡±, teacher shouted. Next moment, Klytea disappeared and loomed in front of me. ¡°Fas¡±, I couldn¡¯t even finish when she made the first blow. It looked like a normal kick to the leg. Her right foot slammed to my left leg, just beneath the joint. She showed amazing power in comparison to her small body. I lost my balance and my body went down. As I was falling, I felt her left arm move. A swift punch was coming to my face. Thrusting my body using its own weight backwards to fall down rather than pushing forward or retaliating. Because I thought if I attacked I would be knocked out. Everything happened in matter of seconds in two or three seconds, but no more than that. I was on ground and saw surprised look on Klytea¡¯s face. Her punch had missed and she was not pleased. She made few steps back and made a hand movement for me to rise. I stood up. My brain was shocked. She couldn¡¯t have teleported, so it had to be speed. Her was fast for eyes not to detect her movement. Blood circulation speed in my body had increased triple fold. My heart was bumping faster than rats. I knew I had to come up with a solution in matter of seconds, or some part of my body was going to be broken into pieces. ¡°Klytea¡±, I whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on him¡±, teacher shouted. There was no wind and sunrays were heating up the ground. It was too hot. I could see steam going off from ground in a distance. I stood still to wait for Klytea¡¯s next attack. There was a determined look on her face. She was going to take me down properly this time. She disappeared from my vision again. I knew she was going to ¡®appear¡¯ somewhere and hit me but the question was where. Moreover the problem was how could I detect her position. It felt like a revelation from god to prophet when I felt the movement in air. I sensed a breeze from my right side. I detected small movement in the composure of the air surrounding me. It had to be Klytea. She really came into sight from same location as the movement in air. She raised her left hand to attack. I made a step forward and her punch missed. However this time, while moving forward I grabbed her arm and tried to push her body for Klytea to lose balance. Instead we tangled up and both of us fell down; Klytea positioned under me. Her white face blushed like a strawberry. I released arm lock, and both of us moved back to initial positions. I knew that my hand-to-hand combat skills were lacking in contrast to Klytea, so to win I had to use some sneaky method. Again, everything happened in matters of seconds. ¡°Enough¡±, teacher shouted. If we went for another round most probably I would be crippled so I prayed. I prayed to god to put mercy into teacher¡¯s soul. Which god you ask? Any, any of them which could reply to my earnest request. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Line¡±, teacher said again. We run fast to line up on a straight row. ¡°Results are alright. It¡¯s good to know that I¡¯m not going to teach degenerates!¡±, she said. Later she looked at me and turned to face Klytea. ¡°Klytea, why do you think on second try, you couldn¡¯t hit him?¡±, she asked Klytea. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Ms. Vossen. Luck, maybe?¡±, Klytea answered. ¡°Just call me Maera¡±, teacher said. ¡°Anyone else?¡±, Maera asked. ¡°Enlighten us Kain!¡±, Maera ordered. I didn¡¯t want to hurt Klytea¡¯s feelings so I said ¡°I was lucky, Maera¡±. ¡°Klytea, he couldn¡¯t follow your movement but at the last moment he detected your position... Kain¡¯s eyes were focused on location where you stopped to hit him. You gotta improve!¡±, Maera said. ¡°We are finishing our class for today... We will continue next week at same time, same place!¡±, Maera said and disappeared with a swoosh in the blink of an eye. ¡°I¡¯m Cali! You are brave, Kain!¡±, a student came up to me and greeted. Others circled around me and looked with longing eyes to question. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard about Ms Vossen?¡±, another girl asked. ¡°He is really dumb¡±, another boy mentioned. ¡°Yeah¡±, others agreed while Klytea was just standing and looking at me dumbfound. ¡°Imagine a big scale... you know very big!¡±, I said and opened my arms for them to visualize. ¡°On the pan to the right, there is an iron ore weighs a kilogram¡±, I told and observed them. ¡°On the second pan... The one to the left there are, a kilogram, of coffee seeds¡±, I waited for them to render the mental image in their heads. ¡°Question is, which one would pull heavier?¡±, I asked. Few of them said iron ore. Others said coffee seeds. I just took off and left. I went to my house instead of wasting time in the campus. We had an outdoors hot tub which I used to clean of sweat and dirt form my body. Moreover my body and mind relaxed. I changed my uniform and went to cafeteria for lunch. On my way back, I was thinking about how far our house was from everything else and what my chances were to change the situation I was in by next year. Looking closely I saw two people standing by our house from far away. As I closed the distance, my eyes recognized Klytea and Ralf. I greeted them and invited them for a cup of tea. To tell the truth, I was surprised, as I didn¡¯t expect anybody to come as a guest to my house. We were sitting in guest room as I had served them coffee and tea. [Klytea]: Was it really luck? [Me]: What? [Klytea]: You avoiding my punch. [Ralf]: Did you sense it? I always thought Ralf was an old guy to attend Klytea¡¯s needs and keep her away from trouble. [Me]: Excuse me? [Klytea]: Ralf is a martial artist and he is at 6th rank of Origin Realm. [Me]: What realm? [Ralf]: Let¡¯s put it this way, are you able to cast magic? [Me]: Yes, of course¡­ [Ralf]: Which rank have you reached? [Me]: I¡¯m 3rd rank¡­ [Ralf]: 3rd rank that you are talking about is your cultivation level in Origin Realm. You don¡¯t have a clue, do you? [Me]: No, first time somebody explains this to me.. By the way, are you a warrior to? Klytea cut in¡­ [Klytea]: Ralf is not a mere warrior. He is a martial artist from Moon Bao Sect, and right now he has cultivated up to 6th level of Origin Realm¡­ [Ralf]: Actually there is a misunderstanding all over the continent regarding the difference between mages and warriors. [Me]: Do you mean sir Destrian is not a warrior? [Ralf]: Yes, he is a mage. Magus who was never educated and didn¡¯t have proper magic studies. Nevertheless, he can project mana through the weapons. You know, it¡¯s the blunt way¡­ [Me]: Are you a warrior then? [Ralf]: We, in martial arts world, don¡¯t like to be called warriors. We refer to ourselves as martial artists. Trivial matters. Let¡¯s go back to the original topic. The main difference between a mage and a martial artist is the use of mana. Most of the time, mages use it externally to project through words, spells, wands, or weapons while martial artists focus on internal cultivation. He stopped to sip tea. [Ralf]: I can crack a big rock with my index finger. Mages and so-called warriors have to use spells or weapons to do so. [Me]: I¡¯m confused. [Ralf]: No need to mix your head with this. I was watching your spar with Klytea. Tell me, how did you detect her presence? It was clear that Ralf was no servant but acted so. The vibe he gave was positive so I told him everything that happened. ¡°Insight¡­ You are blessed with insight¡±, he said out loud. ¡°Would you like to learn ways of Moon Bao Sect under my supervision?¡±, he asked. 33 - First Step I ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 33 ¨C First step I ¡°What¡¯s in it for you?¡±, I questioned Ralf instantly. He smiled but was not in hurry for a reply. ¡°There is no me, but Moon Bao Sect for us¡±, he said slowly. Klytea was goofing off and walking around. I think that was why Ralf didn¡¯t hesitate to talk as who he was instead of how he acted around Klytea. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m following Klytea because her grandfather is sect leader?¡±, Ralf put the pressure on last part of his question. It was a blunt question. If a man at Ralf¡¯s age made an argument as outspoken as this one it meant one thing in particular. He was strong. Strong enough to make a stand if anyone else argued otherwise. ¡°Silverstar family?¡±, I made a dumb reply to agitate him to speak more. ¡°Martial Arts community respects Silverstar family and any other family. But we of martial arts community are not similar to the likes of Destrian and others to protect or kill according to some family¡¯s order¡±, Ralf turned steely gaze towards me and suddenly smiled. ¡°We are more than that... If you agree to be part of Moon Bao Sect, you will understand what I mean!¡± , he claimed and stopped talking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t dedicate myself to a martial arts sect. I would love to learn ways and methods of Moon Bao Sect for internal cultivation, but I can¡¯t be dedicated to a sect and depart from current position in which I am¡±, I said and sighed. ¡°Cohen¡¯s?¡±, Ralf told. ¡°I have a father, mother and brother who are in their care¡±, I answered. ¡°And I have Riley Cohen¡¯s expectations. Moreover I¡¯m a commoner who studies in Monarch Academy. I can¡¯t just cut or severe my ties with them. You know what I mean, don¡¯t you?¡±, I continued on. Ralf nodded but his mouth didn¡¯t utter any more words. To show respect I walked them off and came back to see a young maidservant standing in front of the house. She had short black hair, brownish skin and black eyes. She was wearing a black and white maid costume. ¡°Hi, my name is May. From today onwards I¡¯ll be attending as maid and cook in this dorm¡±, she said and smiled. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Kain. How come? Because we were told we will not be...¡±, May cut in and told me ¡°Headmaster changed her mind today. I¡¯m in your care!¡±. There was a big bag with her. According to her there were only maid costumes and panties in it. She asked me if I wanted to check her bag for validity of her claim which I refused. She seemed to lack few screws in her head but overall my first impression of her could be described in two words. Clumsy and cute. Age-wise she seemed to be older than Arman, Sofia or me because of her appearance. I didn¡¯t ask for her age although it seemed to me that she is no younger than 16-17. I opened the door and both of us entered the house. ¡°Excuse me¡±, she said and went away. I thought there were three bedrooms and a guestroom but it seems I wasn¡¯t aware of the existence of another bedroom. I was lying on sofa thinking about martial arts and internal cultivation when May appeared on my vision. ¡°Would you like tea or coffee?¡±, she asked politely. ¡°Thanks May.. I¡¯m alright¡±, I responded. ¡°Is it alright if you leave the guestroom for 10 minutes.. I¡¯m going to sweep the floor¡±, she added. I nodded in agreement and went outside to the back of the house. I sat on grass and began to meditate. I knew that I was close to breakthrough to 4th rank, but something was wrong. After almost a year of meditating, I was stuck in the same level. Meditation was not just purifying my mana reserves but additionally helping me to indulge in my inner world bringing peace of mind too. Few hours passed in the blink of an eye and I opened my eyes fully as I stopped meditation. Weather was frowsty and as a result my skin was sticky. I was concerned regarding my improvement as a mage. ¡°What should I do?¡±, I said out loud. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Have a shower?!¡±, I heard May¡¯s voice. She walked away from behind to stand in front of me. ¡°Were you doing some magic related stuff?¡±, she asked. Normal people were lacking knowledge regarding magic and were ignorant in those matters. ¡°I was... I was doing magic related stuff¡± I said and laughed. ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±, she asked. ¡°I assume you have finished cleaning...¡±, I said. ¡°Yeah I have. Lord Arman and Lady Sofia had eaten at cafeteria so I came to ask you if you want anything to eat?¡±, she inquired. ¡°Lord and Lady?¡±, I was puzzled because of how she addressed Arman and Sofia. ¡°Of course, they represent Lim and Crux families. How could I address them otherwise?¡±, she said with an assertive tone. ¡°Are you going to call me Lord too?¡±, I asked May. Suddenly, she moved to sit on her knees and answered me with a question ¡°Do you want me to?¡±. Our eyes were locked at each other. ¡°Up to you, May¡­By the way, I am good and don¡¯t feel hungry at all¡±, I answered. She smiled and left. I went back to house and joined Arman and Sofia who were drinking tea. I sat on the corner of sofa and Arman ordered May to bring me a cup of tea. ¡°Are you going to shahmat club tomorrow?¡±, Sofia asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ I must as a member¡±, I replied. May brought a cup of hot tea and gave it to me. ¡°Although I have no idea where Shahmat club is¡±, I continued. ¡°Officially registered room for Shahmat club is on building 4 room 15¡± May joined the conversation. ¡°How do you know?¡±, I asked her. ¡°It¡¯s part of my duty¡­ I know schedules of all of you by heart¡±, she said with a pride. Next day, before going to shahmat club I asked May if she can get me a bottle of spirit rose. She was hesitant but agreed to arrange a bottle by Sunday. Building 4 was the closest to our house out of all buildings within the campus. I got there by 10 o''clock. Every Saturday as an extra-curricular activity we had to spend 2 hours at club playing shahmat. As a first timer, I didn¡¯t get to play on my first day. Actually, the club rule was that only one game to be played every week and other members should observe and learn only. It was pretty convenient. However, there were only 5 members including me so the rule made sense. After club I walked to mansion which was arranged for Klytea. Asking people on the way, I found out her place and was told that she has gone to meet Elle. Fortunately, Ralf was there. He invited me into the backyard where we had green tea and I asked him questions that were bugging me up. ¡°I¡¯m having problems with grasping the idea of internal cultivation¡±, I was the one first to talk. ¡°I know what you mean. Actually in theory it¡¯s pretty easy. Magicians and warriors(he used finger quotes as he said warriors) are manifesting the mana outside of their bodies. Contrary to them martial arts uses the mana within the body most of the time.¡±, he explained. ¡°I¡¯m good with that...But the thing which I don¡¯t understand is how to do that... how to internally manipulate the mana?¡±, I asked. ¡°Its because of your prejudice... you have been learning as a magician now you want to learn how to cultivate like a martial artist¡±, he was avoiding to directly answer my question at all costs. I understood that Ralf was not going to explain me anything. Instead, I changed my tactics. ¡°Can you show me move.. A simple one, as an example¡±, I inquired Ralf. He seemed hesitant but after few seconds he stood up and walked for few meters. ¡°What I¡¯m going to show you is the basic move that every single martial arts sect has. It¡¯s called ¡®first step¡¯¡±, he said and raised his leg. As his foot stepped on ground a voice echoed, and it seemed as if an earthquake occurred. Cracks up to 10 meters long appeared from the place where his foot was standing. P.S: So I was checking out the Red Eyes page and I was overjoyed with 309 followers... I would like to know which chapter made you decide to follow Red Eyes? There are good and boring chapters but there has to be one of them which made you say that "phuck, i''m going to read it all the way".. which one and why? 34 - First Step II ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 34 ¨C First Step II September 4031. Monarch Academy The essence of the shown example was extravagant display of power. Ralf¡¯s step had enough power to make ground vibrate and crack. ¡°Thank you¡±, was all I said to him before departing Klytea¡¯s school manor empty-handed. There had to be a way to channel mana into body, whether it was to strengthen the body or magnifying the vision. The question that was crawling in my brain and driving me crazy was ¡°How?¡±. ¡°How to transfer a metaphysical mana into physical body¡±, had occupied my mind. Beasts and monsters had profound cores which were used as catalysts to control flow the mana into their bodies. Unfortunately human body had no such thing called a profound core. But there had to be something or number of ¡®gears¡¯ to traffic the mana into body. Engrossed in deep thoughts and busy seeking for answers, I was roaming around without a destination. Instant pain of the hit shocked me. Someone had slapped me from behind of my head. I turned to see Maera Vossen. Single, craving for you-know-what, brute and hopeless teacher of my Magic 102 class was standing in front of me. She was grinning while her hands were resting on her waist. She had the aura and pose of a winner of war. As if she has accomplished something. ¡°What was that for?¡±, I asked in anger. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong¡±, she said and smiled. ¡°Wrong? That¡¯s called violence towards underage kids. It should be classified as BULLYING!¡±, I raised my tone and yelled. She was stunned. I overdid it, in sense I think that was how she expressed herself. ¡°I called you out and you didn¡¯t answer to me. so I...¡±, she hesitated which proved my theory. An introvert woman with strength of a bull had to be kept in a zoo but instead she was left free at school to do whatever she wanted. ¡°Just forget it¡±, I said but without losing a second she replied ¡°You looked like a stray dog puppy...Sorry... Sorry. I meant lost lamb¡±. I was frozen to death. She was incapable of having a conversation. She uttered wrong words at every possible chance. Most probably her lack of common sense was the main reason she was single. ¡°I may be a bit rude now... Maybe even out of place... But Maera I can help you!¡±, I said out loud. ¡°Help me? I need no help... You are the one who seems to be in need of help¡±, she replied instantly although her voice waivered. ¡°Alright, lets do it my way. What do you think my problem is?¡±, I asked her. She was puzzled. With a hand gesture I showed her to the bench under the massive willow tree. She walked to sit there with me but in silence. Winds of a smooth breeze were cooling us. I was overhelmed at sight of branches and leaves of willow tree which were moving as winds hit them. ¡°So?¡±, I said diverting my gaze from tree to Maera. ¡°You are homesick... Hmm... You feel out of place and scared of failing in Monarch!¡±, she told. I just waved my head to make her know that her claims were wrong. ¡°Your father is a great man¡±, I said and waited for her face expressions. Although her face didn¡¯t change at all, her body stiffened for a moment. ¡°He wanted a heir. A boy who would be as great as him... Who could continue his legacy¡±, I stopped to analyze her more. ¡°That¡¯s was why you were brought up as a boy and after being released or escaping from your family you can not adjust to society... We are not in army, Maera!¡±, I declared. ¡°Do you want my help? Because I need yours¡±, I asserted. ¡°How...How...¡±, words didn¡¯t come out of her mouth as if she was hit by a lightening. I raised my hand to indicate her to stop. ¡°You help me out, and I will help you Maera¡±, I moved upper part of my body towards her while talking. ¡°What you say?¡±, I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll go first then¡±, I said and she nodded in aggrement. ¡°How can I learn to cultivate internal cultivation?¡±, I asked looking straight into her eyes. ¡°Library, level 2, block d 282¡±, she said and continued ¡°Although I have no idea how you going to learn techniques even if you are able to breakthrough¡±. ¡°Good enough for me¡±, I replied. ¡°Maera, we are in school and you are teaching normal students. We are not in army. No need to scream, shout or yell to make a statement. Just follow the flow... Do this and next week I wil tell you more... By the way, how can I get in contact with you?¡±, I asked. ¡°Take this and in case you need me tear it up¡±, she said and gave me a small paper which I stored in my storage ring. Waving her goodbye, I departed towards the library. ¡°What a lucky day¡±, I whispered to myself. Anyhow, I entered to library to see a male student sitting in the reception. I nodded my head in greeting and went to gondola. I said ¡°Level 2, block D¡± and gondola began to levitate to the destination. Each shelf had 50 books on it having 10 rows of books, 5 at each of them. Following the numbers I walked to 6th shelf and checked the 3rd row. ¡°282¡±, I uttered. There a thick old book with no name on its side. I took it up to check its cover and back. I cleant the book with my handkerchief as it was covered with dust. There was no indication of its name or who had written it on either side of the book. I opened it to see blank page on every single leaf of the book. I turned back to first page of the book and saw the thing which amazed me. Slowly letters began to emerge on first page. ¡°What one can not keep, two hold and three destroy?¡±, was written on it. ¡°A riddle¡±, passed my mind. I tried to turn the page but I couldn¡¯t, which meant I had to answer the riddle to pass to the next page. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°If I can not keep it... In case Arman and I know of its existence... If we leak knowledge of its existence to Sophia..Then the answer is¡±, every single brain cell in my head was squeezed to work at its best to come up with the answer. ¡°A secret¡±, I said out loud. First page seperated from the rest. I turned to second page to see the text already available to be read. ¡°Seed is the origin. Cleanse the way Balance the way Open the way Seed shall grow¡± Page brightened with light as I read out loud the last word. Information about the chant to meditate flowed into my head and the next moment I knew it by heart. I closed the book, left it into its original place and departed the library. Sofia and Arman went to sleep and May was nowhere to be found which I assumed that she is asleep too. I left the house to the backyard towards the pond. Two moons, one smaller in size in comparison to the other, were brightening the night with the light reflected by them. I sat on grass and took on lotus position. According to the information inscribed in my memory, I had to murmur the chant in a low voice while focusing on the first energy center that was located below the navel area. Name of the energy center was called origin center hence the name origin realm. Hierarchically it is the first gate that takes off the borders between physical body and metaphysical realm. Origin center is the most instinctual of all energy centers initiating the most primal, animalistic nature of the body. Moreover it is the foundation of transcendence. It is the first step towards physical immortality. Theoretical information regarding origin realm and its 10 level¡¯s were in my brain. Nevertheless I didn¡¯t have a teacher or guru who ease up my practice by sharing their experiences with me. Moreover I lacked the knowledge which martial arts sects such as Moon Bao had accumulated for centuries or millenias. As a result I had come up with 2 short term goals. First one was to open up the energy center. Second one was to apply judo and aikido moves and create a new martial arts if I succeeded first step. Extra thoughts that were rumbling in my mind had to be put away. This was not a matter of joke rather something that had potential to change my life. Cleaning my thoughts, I delved into trance like state where my focus was in my body. My mouth was mumbling the chant automatically without my conscious intervention. I assume it should be categorized as breathing. You can fasten or slow your breathing but normally you don¡¯t meddle with it. Body does it for you as it is part of your survival. Diction of the chant had become as important as breathing so I didn¡¯t have to interfere either in its pace or wording. In time, I was absorbed in meditation so much that I had lost control over my external senses such as hearing, touch and smell. I was aware of my consciousness which was dwelling in darkness. I was traveling in shadows without moving. It felt harmonious but peace was no where to be found. Something was lacking. Although I didn¡¯t feel irritated at all as I wasn¡¯t concerned about it. As my last worry faded away consciousness stopped to move. A spark occurred. More sparks began to appear within the darkness. It felt as though it was calling out to me. Instantly my physical body appeared within the darkness and I found myself in it. Raising both my hands up, I moved my fingers into a punch and released them. ¡®Tsk¡¯, ¡®Tsk¡¯. Sounds of sparks were echoing in darkness. I walked towards the place. Bent on my knees I began to observe the sparks. ¡°Seed is the origin, I had cleaned, balanced and now have to open the way for it grow¡±, I said out loud. Moving my right arm towards the sparks, I touched them with my fingers. In the next moment, my body was consumed by the sparks and my vision had changed back to the one of conscious being rather than physical. Sparks began to occur more and more. At initial point from where sparks were coming out, dark blue mana began to pour out. It elevated and began to spiral around sparks. Next, sparkling turned into fire of dark red color. It was an amazing sight to see that had mesmerized me. A small fire as big as a candle was covered with dark blue mana. Momentarily I woke up from deep trance. Lungs lacked air. Instant inhale of air almost had choked me to death. In a minute, I gained control over my body. First rays of sun were shining from east. My body felt disgusting. Because of over sweating during the meditation my clothes had become wet and they were sticking to my skin. Nevertheless there was a big grin on my face. I could feel the mana flowing into my body through my origin center. The power that was flowing through my veins almost made me to think that I am some kind of god. I walked towards the hot tub, filled it with water and burned fire underneath it to warm the water. I had to clean my body before checking out my newly found powers. P.S: Glossary contains information up to chapter 10... We are at 34th chap right now so (i''m a lazy bum) if there anyone willing to update it upto chapter 30 please let me know.. kthx 35 - First Step III ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 35 ¨C First Step III September 4031. Monarch Academy For breakfast, I joined other roommates. Although it was Sunday, I didn¡¯t waste anytime and went to library to seek for knowledge that could help me out to progress. On the way to the library I was amazed with accomplishment, which I could make by my new improved body. I took the long way to the library. Moreover without taking a break I run almost for 10 kilometers. My shoes and pants of the uniform had stains of dust and dirt on them but there was not even a glimpse of sweat on anywhere around my body. By being able to open the origin center the force and power that was flowing into my body had enhanced my physical power many folds. That day in library I made a proper plan, more like a road map. I had my short-term goals divided into categories. First of all, even though my body was not an ordinary human body anymore it still had its limits. I was going to check out and understand my upper limit without using any potions. Secondly, I didn¡¯t have potions and I had no idea how to get them or from where to buy them. Moreover I was not planning to buy them at all. After skimming through few basic books about alchemy, I grasped overall idea behind potions. It was more like balanced chemical liquids made out of totally organic herbs, leaves and other materials. In simple words, there was no toothpaste in this world. However there were special plant roots which were cut into 10-15cms long pieces and used to clean the tooth. Likewise to clean the breathe of mouth simply chewing mint leaves was enough. Using same logic, as a person who lacked knowledge and experience of the proper alchemist, through rational thinking I came up with an idea. I was going to learn biology. Knowledge of healthy and beneficial herbs, plants, flowers and beast parts to the human body had to be grasped. As a person lacking financial support to buy potions, I could be the person who would use nature to help me out. Most of the rarest herbs, plants, flowers and beast cores were going to be hard to find anyway so to buy them or potion made out of them needed extravagant amount of gold. Instead of doing so I could be a hunter-gatherer. For the next one month, I was like a ghost in the classes and extracurricular activities. I tried to minimize my involvement at all costs which I succeeded. Library and backyard were the places where you could find me if you needed me. I was either reading and taking notes or meditating and practicing in the backyard. Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t break contact with everyone to be consumed in my own world. I still talked to Klytea in the class and tried my best to chat with Arman and Sofia although keeping everything to minimum. From the past life I knew that the world is cruel towards the weak and unprepared ones. I wasn¡¯t going to slack off, in reverse I was planning to conquer. To my surprise whoever was the headmaster of the Monarch Academy was a genius. He or She, actually had grown a forest circling the academy with full of flowers, herbs and plants that had positive medicinal effects on human body. There was even a book regarding floral life of the forest around the Monarch in the library. Once in a week I was traveling through the forest in search of Serpent Gourd Seeds and Violet Rose leaves. Serpent Gourd Seeds were as big as a grown man¡¯s thumbnail. Consumption of Serpent Gourd Seeds allowed the person involved in internal cultivation to replenish physical strength and took off stress from muscles. Seeds were not as effective as health potions. In sense you couldn¡¯t regrow an arm by eating them but consuming a seed while practicing martial arts could help you out to increase practice time by 10 minutes. Violet Rose leaves had different effect on body of an internal cultivation practitioner. Firstly they had to be put in between book pages to dry for two days. Later on they had to be cut to four pieces and mixed with honey and stored in dark place for another two days. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Shortly after four days of preparation, eating violet rose leaves mixed with honey would increase the capacity of the channels and meridians that were used by energy center to flow the mana within the body. These two were the most effective that I could get by my own so I tried not to waste more time by looking for different options. In short time of one month I made a breakthrough and opened the 2nd gate of my origin center as a martial artist. Furthermore, as a magician I went through half the hardships as a martial artists, made a breakthrough of 2 levels and ended up as a 5th level magician. At the end of the time, I was a 2nd rank martial artist and 5th rank magician of the origin realm. The main difference between them was the usage of the mana. As a martial artist I was using it to increase and enhance my body while as a magician I was able to cast magic spells that had no direct effect to my physical strength. Sometimes I listened to ¡®geeky¡¯ students who had debates regarding who was stronger a martial artist or a magician. Both martial artists and magicians had their pros and cons. Martial artists were good at close combat and physical strength while magicians lacked those qualities. Nevertheless, theoretically a magician of 10th origin realm could easily take a stance against an army of 7th origin realm martial artists. Even if it was a one on one fight nobody could predict the outcome of a match between a 9th origin realm magician and martial artist. Because war and death matches were totally different things in comparison to official spars. Simply put, in case of a war a magician can not ask a martial artist to stay away from him/her because close-combat is not fair. Correspondingly, in a death match a martial artist can not force a magician not to put a distance. War is a war, and death match is a death match. Whoever is sneaky, tactical and could think ahead a step or two is going to win. That¡¯s the rule of the world. That¡¯s the cycle of the life. You are either a pray or hunter unless you have knowledge, power and ability to change the situation. In addition to magic and internal cultivation, during that month I layed out and practiced my version of aikido/judo. In short, I invented new martial arts, which was proficient in hand-to-hand and sword combat. Nonetheless I kept knowledge of it to myself and was not going to share any information about it to anyone. Positive side of the combination of internal cultivation and aikido/judo was that there were endless possibilities. Hand-to-hand combat wise they were excellent in terms of attack and defense. Besides aikido had moves involving use of weapons, especially katana related moves. In future, if I did breakthrough and reached higher levels then I was planning to come up with new combinations of moves to invent advanced and unique attack and defense power. October 4031. Monarch Academy I entered the classroom to see everyone seated and Maera walking right and left in anger. Noise of her teeth grinding each other was reflected within the room. Everyone turned to face me as I coughed few times to let my presence known. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to come half-an-hour early this week?¡± she shouted. ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten¡­ Sorry about that¡±, I replied. ¡°Alright, in one week your seniors are going to leave to south-west of Molten Peak¡­ It is an excellent opportunity to hunt beasts in groups. Moreover it is a place where natural concentration of mana is higher than others parts of continent¡­ Even if you meditated there cultivation will be much more easier. Any volunteers?¡± she asked. ¡°I would love to¡±, I said and raised my hand. P.S: I''m planning to fasten up the pace a little bit.. P.P.S: your thoughts on Red Eyes is welcome... (I read each and every comment... even a simple thanks is a lot to...) Thank you all for your support!!! 36 - Syzygy I ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 36 ¨C Syzygy I October 4031. Monarch Academy Class finished early. Moreover we didn¡¯t have any combat training at all. However Maera talked about pros and cons of attending Molten Peak trip. Nevertheless by the end of the class I was the only one who was willing to go to Molten Peak for meditation and beast hunt. I had another week to cultivate and meditate so without losing another moment I departed classroom to go to my house to train. Existence of May in our house as servant had given me advantages in terms of time. The most important factor being, I could eat at home rather than going to cafeteria. I was saving an hour and half of travel time which was used to meditation. Arman, as future leader and head of the Crux trading company, was good at gathering information. Whether it could be identified as useful or useless was up to the subjective decision of the person but overall somehow he knew anything and everything. Sofia, Arman and I were having a great time at the backyard almost every single night. May had arranged a wooden table and three stools for us to sit and enjoy the stars while drinking tea with biscuits. It was then that Arman said ¡°Are you trying to be brave or an idiot to join the Molten Peak trip?¡± Sofia gasped at his words as if it was something extraordinary to attend the trip. ¡°Whats so brave about joining the trip? What¡¯s so idiotic about joining the trip?¡±, I answered him with questions. ¡°Do you really don¡¯t know?¡±, Sofia asked. ¡°Know what?¡±, I was puzzled. ¡°Argh...My friend, don¡¯t you know most of the attendees will be third and fourth year students?¡±, he questioned me. ¡°Why should I care?¡±, I still couldn¡¯t grasp the logic behind his words. Arman continued on ¡°Even the number of third and fourth year students would not reach more than number of fingers on both hands. The reason being, it is just freaking hard to survive in the area near Molten Peak. Moreover people who are going to the trip to gain battle experience as they live in territories that are not stable in economic and political sense. Why are you even joining the quest?¡±. ¡°To get stronger¡±, I replied. ¡°for what?¡±, he was not going to end the questions so to appear as a dumb peasant I said ¡°I don¡¯t know, I want to be strong I guess¡±. I couldn¡¯t tell him that I plan to gain enough strength to get my freedom and prosperity for my family. Without strength how could I break the ties with Cohen family? ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid to die? You never know what kind of magical beast may attack the group! There is no guarantee for survival even if the teachers are there!¡±, he spoke in angry tone. I knew that he meant no harm to me but wanted my well-being. ¡°If I¡¯m supposed to die now, I will die by the bite of a mosquito. But if I¡¯m supposed to live, then even if the legendary phoenix attacked my I¡¯ll survive¡±, I said in a calm manner. ¡°You sound like those old priests and nuns of Holy Church. I didn¡¯t know you are that religious¡±, Sofia commented. ¡°I have never been to church¡±, I told her. ¡°Never been to church? Really?¡±, Arman said. The course of the conversation had changed and I was relieved in a sense that they were not going to question me and try to change my mind about Molten Peak trip. At nights when everyone else went to sleep, I sneaked out of the house to the backyard to meditate. There was no single position to meditate so at nights instead of sitting on lotus position I was lying down on grass to achieve an altered state. After three days of practice and training, I made a breakthrough from second to the third level of origin realm by opening the third gate to my origin energy center. The dark red mana that was firing as a flame in my origin center had grown more powerful although its size didn¡¯t increase. The royal blue mana was swirling around it faster than I was used to. My physical strength had increased a lot. I was still looking like a normal teen. My muscles had not grown like of a bodybuilder¡¯s, but power, might and force flowing in my body was extraordinary. I could life a big rock with my hands and feel no pain. Speed of my legs had multiplied too. As much as I understood through the internal cultivation as I passed over from one level to another there was a multiplier effect in agility and strength. A month ago I could not lift 200kg boulder even in my dreams. Right now it didn¡¯t even bulge muscles in my arm when I lifted it with a single hand. These days I was able to sense movement of animals while having my eyes closed lying on ground or either in lotus position. Every single step or movement of even their ears had an effect on air which was automatically detected by developed senses of mine. Advancing in terms of internal cultivation seemed to have more advantages in comparison to using magic so I was slacking and meditating less in area of magic spells. My goal was to reach to the same level both martial arts and magic wise. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Afterwards I could spend same time to increase my cultivation and understanding of both of them. In addition I was training physically and writing down techniques and moves of judo and aikido. Philosophy of the martial arts that originated from eastern countries of the old world were interesting to me in my old life. Especially the philosophical background of aikido. Sensei had always told us to be like water. If there was a big stone or rock in front of a stream, it would pass by it from sides. If there was a high ground, the stream would flow the low ground. In short, stream would never stop movement but would endlessly seek for the best possible way to pass obstacle. Fundamentally the new martial arts that I was working on had the same philosophy as aikido. Furthermore I was able to use the dark blue mana within me to sense those imaginary obstacles. When I was standing still, I could sense anyone even if they tried to attack me from behind. Of course, in practice I could sense rabbits that roamed in our backyard and May who would come to ask if I wanted to eat. Theoretically I could sense everyone, but being able to avoid or counter-attack depended if my speed was higher than opponent¡¯s. Being affiliated with air and water, dark blue mana was giving me enormous advantages over the possible opponents. In any case I didn¡¯t want to overestimate my newly found powers as it could bring more harm than gain. Foot movements that I was working on for an half an hour a day was exact copy from aikido. Front, back, left and right were the main ones. Additionally there were blank space in between those directions which added another four possible moves. In total, 8 simple step movement which could decide life and death in times of danger. These step movements were useful in close-combat. Especially if I was against a human being. In case I faced a magical beast then the best possible way was to increase the distance until I could change the flow of battle. In the blink of an eye, a week passed, it felt as if it was yesterday that Maera had informed us about the trip to Molten Peak. We were at the main hall where vice head master announced the names of participants one by one. Arman¡¯s information regarding the attendees was on spot. There were 9 students from third and fourth year students who were going to go to Molten Peak. Surprisingly Cyrus Lyth was one of them. Nevertheless, the shock that hit the students and teachers of the Monarch Academy was when my name was announced. I went to join the group. Kyle¡¯s eyes stared at me for a moment and our eyes met. I hadn¡¯t informed him about my decision although he didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by it. Vice took a deep breath and continued. The voice echoed through the hall reaching every single part of it in a high clear tone ¡°Last member joining the Molten Peak Expedition will be the first year magician, Zepho Kig¡±. The student whose body was covered with robe from head to toe moved towards us. Zepho¡¯s head was looking down so it was hard to distinguish his face features. As his posture was not straight and head bent, his height seemed to be lower than mine by a lot. Three teachers were going to be with us during the trip. Plan was to go to Molten Peak and camp near the volcano for two weeks. Afterwards depart the volcano towards south-west to the mountainous border of the House of Byron with Molten Peak where we could hunt magical beasts. The teachers that were going to oversee us during one month training trip were Malor Ratarr, Elena Hara and Ivis. First two were mages while Ivis was supposed to be the warrior accompanying us. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Mr Ivis was nowhere to be found and Maera volunteered on spot to go with us. She had already prepared a backpack which arose suspicions but nobody raised a voice. ¡°Dangerous woman¡±, I whispered in a low tone. Few students, who were close by to hear me, smirked. Choices are always there. You may see them or you may just omit. You may create them or destroy. Nevertheless you have to make the choice. Destiny is the overall result of those choices. Though fate is something else. Fate is the result of the mix of all of the destinies together, living or dead. All three teachers were introduced to us. Including their area of expertise. Afterwards, we shook hands with them to greet them. As my hand touched Malor Ratarr¡¯s hand ¡°this is fate¡±, passed my mind. This is fate. Because Malor was the best magician in the continent with affiliation to fire mana. 7th rank magician who I had met after seemingly irrational choices. Even when I had volunteered to join the training I had no idea that Malor would be coming. I had no idea about his existence. So if it is not fate, what it is? P.S: Proofreaders and editors are welcome P.P.S: Sorry for the late release!!! Holidays:) P.P.P.S: I would like to indicate that none of the female characters story''s protagonist had met till now are conceived as love interests... Maybe in future, but not right now. Reason being he is too young for stuff like that:) P.P.P.P.S: damn too many post scriptums.. BTW, should we go for a harem or stay with just one girl? 37 - Syzygy II ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 37 ¨C Syzygy II Immediately three carriages were brought to front of the hall. There were 6 black pegasuses pulling each of the carriages. ¡°Hmph¡±, a sound of disdain came from Cyrus. My eyes rolled towards him and our eyes met. ¡°They can¡¯t even afford white pegasus. What a shame!¡±, he said out loud. Students were divided into three groups. First two groups had 4 members, while the third one had three. I was chosen to be part of the first group. Each group was to be led by a teacher. First group¡¯s mentor teacher was Elena Hara. By the way, second group¡¯s mentor teacher was Malor while third group was stuck with Maera. Grouping the students in the initial stage was for us to get used to our group by the time we reached Molten Peak. Although in the campsite near the volcano we would act as one, but after the meditation stage we would be going to hunt the magical beasts. Accordingly we were going to act as one army but with three groups. Members of the group had to get familiar with each other. ¡°It will take two days of time to reach Molten Peak thanks to these¡±, Elena said pointing towards the carriage with her right arm. When she raised her arm, the robe that was covering most of her body moved away. She was wearing short sleeve t-shirt and pants. Her arm muscles were well built for a woman. Her long black hair was braided, twisted and woven in a feminine style. Her skin was bright. She turned back to us and said ¡°I¡¯m Elena Hara. 7th rank earth magus. You guys will be in my care until the end of the training. Introduce yourselves!¡± Everyone told their names and magical affiliations. Cyrus was the first one to speak. Vita Atheus was the second to introduce herself. She was followed by Salman Fyser. Last one to speak was me. All other groups had finished at the same time with us, so all of us went to carriages. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Kyle came out of the crowd and whispered few things into my ears. I nodded and left to carriage. The campsite was secret and Malor Ratarr was the only one with specific knowledge regarding its location. In a sense, Molten Peak was a freezone with no family to rule over it. There were thousands and thousands of people who went there for pilgrimage. Likewise, merchant caravan¡¯s passed by it. Moreover bandit, criminal and mercenary groups roamed in those areas freely with no worry of any repercussions from big families or kingdom. To protect us, from variable threats such as those, information regarding the campsite had to be kept secret. Carriage was big enough to accomodate 10 people. It was sofa like chairs where one could sit and sleep in ease. For the first hour of the flight I joined chatting them. Later on Elena told us to sleep in case we felt so. Jumping at the chance, like a koi out of the water, I relaxed my body and closed my eyes. Nobody knew what we were going to face in the wilderness, so better take my chance and sleep now rather than regret it later. Students and Elena were still chatting but their voices wouldn¡¯t harm my sleep. It didn¡¯t take long for me to sleep. // this is the dream // ¡°Hey! Hey! Soviets!¡±, the voice startled me. ¡°What?¡±, I said and slowly opened my eyes. Omar was grinning. His white teeth were sparkling like sun in the darkness of the night. ¡°What the fuck man? Lemme sleep¡±, I responded while saliva flowed out of my mouth down to my chin. ¡°We almost here! Get ready!¡±, Omar said hastily. ¡°Alright! Alright!¡±, I said out loud. The car stopped. Rain was heavily pouring down from sky. Omar switched of the car and took out the keys. ¡°Shall we?¡±, he said in an ironic tone. ¡°I¡¯m more than enough... You stay here!¡±, I told to him. He looked at me but said nothing. I knew that he had parents and a younger sister. I couldn¡¯t let him come with me. I was wearing flip-flops, a t-shirt and shorts with quicksilver emblem on them. I had a pale beige long raincoat which reached my knees on me too. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Are you sure?¡±, Omar asked. ¡°I am soviets¡±, I replied. It was a lame joke. I grabbed pack of cigarettes that was lying on console near the gear stick. ¡®Parliament¡¯ was written on it. I took out a cigarette out of the pack and put it in between my lips. I touched the pockets of the raincoat but couldn¡¯t feel anything. ¡°Here... This is my lucky zippo¡±, Omar gave me the lighter. I lighted the zippo and burned the tip of the cigarette. I exited the car and exhaled the smoke of the cigarette. Pushed the door to close it. In matter of seconds rain was flowing down from my head to my stomach and backside. I walked to the bikie club room which was 15 meters away from the place where Omar had parked the car. I raised my right hand to smoke but cigarette was already turned off by the rain water. ¡°Fuck it¡±, I said and threw the cigarette. With both of my hands I pushed the door to the club room to open it. AC/DC tune was playing. There were quite a few tables and all of them had around 4-5 big ass bikies sitting by them. More than ten bikies were sitting by the bar. A nude woman was serving them drinks. Everyone turned to look at me. Chit-chatting had stopped. I walked into the middle of the room. Eyes were on me. AC/DC¡¯s ¡®Back in black¡¯ was still on. A bikie almost as tall as me walked up to me. ¡°You have big balls, kid¡±, he said. I grabbed my crotch. ¡°Tell your sister, I got a big dick too¡±, I said out loud. Everyone began to laugh. He took out a knife. ¡°Your last words, motherfucker¡±, he screamed. ¡°Try! You won¡¯t get away with a broken nose this time¡±, I yelled. ¡°Enough¡±, a voice echoed. ¡°Jones, calm the fuck down¡±, same voice spoke again. I turned to my right where the voice was coming over. There was an old man. His hair and beard were white as snow. There were three more bikies sitting on his right and left. ¡°He must be Sabbath! Their leader¡±, passed my mind. ¡°Are you going to stay there like a statue?¡±, he told. I walked to them and stood a meter away from their table. I was getting tired of carrying my raincoat. It felt so heavy... ¡°Why?¡±, Sabbath asked me. ¡°That¡¯s my turf now¡±, I replied. ¡°Hmm¡±, he was still staring at me. ¡°You gotta pay the tax¡±, a bikie sitting by Sabbath talked. ¡°I pay no one¡±, I said. Sabbath began to laugh out loud. Other bikies stood up and circled me. I think they were waiting for his signal. ¡°I¡¯m Sabbath! You?¡±, he said as he stopped laughing. ¡°They call me Soviets!¡±, I answered. ¡°Soviets... It¡¯s been a long time that I saw someone as crazy as you to come here alone and say that you ain¡¯t gonna pay us a penny... I like you¡±, Sabbath told. ¡°I ain¡¯t no homo¡±, I said. ¡°Neither I am... As much as I am alive, nobody from our side will come to disturb you¡±, Sabbath yelled so that everyone could hear. ¡°One thing though¡±, Sabbath acted as if he is puzzled. ¡°How did you plan to get out of here in case you had problems?¡±, Sabbath asked. Our eyes met. He was looking at me in curiosity. I grabbed my raincoat and opened them to see it. ¡°25kgs of c4 is enough to blow the fuck out of this clubroom, and maybe even the street¡±, I spoke calmly. ¡°I would still pay no one¡±, I said out loud. Sabbath was only one who was laughing. All of them were staring at me with crazy eyes. ¡°I like you more¡±, Sabbath said and I turned to leave. // end of the dream // I jumped up as I woke up from the sleep. Elena and the rest were startled. ¡°Bad dream?¡±, she asked. ¡°A lucid dream¡±, I replied. Sweat was flowing from my forehead down as if a flood had occurred in mountains. ¡°How long till we get to Molten Peak?¡±, I looked at Elena. ¡°An hour ago we had our last break, so in 5-6 hours we will be there¡±, she replied. ¡°You are a heavy sleeper¡±, she added. P.S: I didn''t know that HAREM is going to be the most important discussed thing. There were people who even messaged me... To finish this debate for good, we got a poll.. Vote for your choice 38 - Syzygy III ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 38 ¨C Syzygy III ¡°Heavy sleeper, huh¡±, I whispered. ¡°Why the hell am I remembering things that are not of importance to me anymore?¡±, passed my mind. My eyes were dull. Somehow I felt tired. I would love to sleep for an eternity. Beads of sweat were pouring down to my spine. Hair at the back of my head was sweaty, and drops of sweat were flowing towards my mouth from my forehead. I took out few leaves that I had collected from forest that circled Monarch Academy. Fastly I began to rub them with two small stones. The oil that was extracted from leaves of Broad Rose was filled into a small glass container size of a thumb. Later on, I dripped drops of oil to my palms, my beck and back of my head. ¡°That should be enough¡±, passed my mind. ¡°What was that?¡±, Cyrus asked in hurry. ¡°Broad Rose leaves¡±, I replied. ¡°I meant the oil... Why did you¡± as he wanted to continue on I cut in and answered ¡°To refresh my bodily odor. Its much more effective than perfumes sold in markets and its cheaper¡± Thinking throughly I haven¡¯t communicated with others at all. We talked about trivial matters, philosophy and magic. In a blink of an eye hours passed and our carriage landed besides Molten Peak. Carriages flew back to the academy as soon as we left them. All of the groups got together and Malor began to lead us towards the volcano. There was quite a distance to Molten Peak even though we had reached our destination. Malor was walking in front of the group while we followed him. The only rule that we were told to follow was simple. No use of magic to ease the travel. It was some kind of physical training. Moreover chit-chatting was down to whispers and that happened once in a while. Sun was brightly shining the sky. Observing the others I saw that nobody was sweating. ¡°Everyone who had volunteered is in top condition¡±, passed my mind. It took another hour or so to arrive at hillside of the Molten Peak. A break of ten minutes was arranged for us to drink water to replenish the thirst of our bodies. As soon as those ten minutes passed we began to walk towards the top of the Molten Peak. The volcano was bigger than any mountain I had ever seen. It would not be a lie if I said that it was 10 to 11 kilometers tall in height. Maybe even more, the number that came to my mind was from simple eye observation. There were no clouds on the sky so top of the volcane could be seen. It was so wide and big that from the place where we were standing nothing but rocks could be seen on right and left side. Molten Peak is a heavenly volcano to make mortals feel feeble and effete. We walked up for another kilometer or so when Malor signed with his hands for us to stop. In a crescent moon shape we gathered in front of Malor. I think he was making a head count. He signalled Elena and she left the group. She began to chant and caves were formed within the volcano outside of volcane that we were facing. As soon as Elena was finished with caves she returned back to group. ¡°Each cave for one of you. Elena shall seal the entrance of the caves after you get in. In two weeks we shall meet again. Meditate and cultivate. It maybe once in a lifetime chance for most of you so don¡¯t waste your time in there¡±, Malor said and waved his hand for us to begin. One by one students entered the caves. As the last one, on my turn, I walked into the cave and turned to see Elena standing outside. She had a caring smile on her face. Afterwards she chanted a spell and entrance of the cave was covered with rocks. Darkness. Total darkness that surrounded me woke me up from daydreaming. I turned around but didn¡¯t make a move. Unfortunately my eyes couldn¡¯t differentiate anything in darkness and I was not different from a blind person. Instead of indulging myself into panic and stress, I lowered my body to sit on ground. By now, I had already forgotten where the entrance was because of turning around for a while like a dumb goat. The ground was not cold or hot either. Suitable for a person to sit without a care for health issues. Lotus position was my favourite for meditation. Closing my eyes, I began to chant the cultivation techniques which I acquired in library. Internal cultivation and meditation for magical training were two total different things. In my case, I cultivated to accumulate and increase the amount of mana within my origin center. But the mana that was spurting from my origin center and flowing within my body didn¡¯t just stay within the borders of my physical domain(body) but it tried to sip out of it. Dark red mana was mostly sipping out of my fingers. Although the flow was very thin to be noticed at first. By time I detected and examined it, I learnt that I could increase or decrease the amount of leakage. Likewise I could make use of the leakage in my favor by turning it into flames. Nevertheless the amount and heat of the flames increased as I made breakthrough from one level to higher ones. In contrast to dark red mana, royal blue mana was leaking out from under my legs. As mentioned before leakage amount was close to nothing but it slipped out nevertheless. Moreover royal blue mana had a different route than dark red mana. It tried to cover all of my body with an invisible layer. I had tried to increase the leakage of the royal blue mana and use it as a wind. In this case my running speed had increased many folds. In addition I tried to use it as water to pour from under my foot but instead it had changed my body to fluid like state where weight of my body decreased. I could make few steps on the pond near my lodging back in Monarch Academy. However this newly found powers of mine had its negtive affect(s). Whenever I was cultivating to increase the amount of mana within the origin center to breakthrough to the next level, I always saw and felt the leakage of mana to affect my cultivation. Cultivation speed and amount had to be much more than leakage amount for me to breakthrough. So another problem arised with upcoming discovery of the leakage. Whether I cultivated or not, the leakage continued day and night. Overall for me to make a breakthrough, the best possibility was to go in one go. Or I had to cultivate daily so that the time gap between two meditations had to be no more than two days. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Nonetheless after closing my eyes I felt something which was alien to me up to now. The cave that I was residing in had enermous amounts of fire affiliated mana in comparison to any other place I had visited. Molten Peak was no ordinary mountain or volcane. This was a sacred place to the inhabitants of Pyrr continent. So thinking through I came up with an idea. A theory which may hold true after some empirical tests. Cultivating or meditating in an area where amount and flow of mana was greater would help me out to increase my chances of breakthrough in comparison to other location. I had made a mental note that day to learn about sacred, secret and other places which may fit the criterias that Molten Peak had. Thoughts began to disappear from my mind as I delved into unconscious realm of cultivation. Hunger and thirst were no more of threat to my mind and body. Clear vision of dark red mana firing as a flame covered by royal blue mana emerged in my sight. The amount of dark red mana was slowly increasing as the result of the Molten Peak¡¯s affect. Though balance was kept in between dark red mana and royal blue mana. Sizewise dark red mana had overcome the amount of visible royal blue mana. But there was peace between them. That peace was keeping the balance. One of them may seem stronger than the other, bigger than the other, brighter than the other, powerful than the other one. However none of them were conflicting with each other as both of them were part of me. As much as my mind was at peace, they would be too. I had lost sense of time. Only thing which I felt was that I was close to make a breakthrough. ¡°Kain¡±, a familar voice echoed within the darkness that was covering me. ¡°Who is it?¡±, I asked out loud. Later on contradicting my question I whispered the answer ¡°Zah¡¯hak¡±. [Me]: Why don¡¯t you show yourself? [Zah¡¯hak]: Too much pressure will be placed upon your mind and body... Your are not ready... YET [Me]: How come I can hear you then? What about Sobek? [Zah¡¯hak]: One question at a time kid... Hahaa... It¡¯s because of the ¡®insight¡¯... However this place that you are meditating right now is mediocre in strength for me to appear... We can only talk for a limited time... [Me]: Ok [Zah¡¯hak]: Syzygy will happen in few minutes... As it will, a technique which I use when fighting beasts will be transferred to you... Although effects won¡¯t be as good as mine because of your current condition. In time it will get better as you improve. Good luck kid! [Me]: Thanks Zah¡¯hak I tried to talk to Zah¡¯¡¯hak but there was no answer afterwards. At some unknown point knowledge began to pour onto me. For some time I was lost in information. My mind and soul was in turbulence. Fortunately I didn¡¯t had to break my mind to learn or memorize anything. It was profound knowledge that was gifted to me. Turbulent state of mind disappeared as I grasped a technique which was meant for a dragon to use in battles. I concentrated on dark red and royal blue mana. I don¡¯t exactly know the reason why it happened but as soon as dragon¡¯s technique was consumed by me, I made double breakthrough. Third and fourth gate of my origin center opened up in consequence. Massive amounts of power were circling in my physical body. At the same time, the amount of dark red mana had increased and there was a slight change in the size of the flame shape that it took. Same changes had happened to the lines of royal blue mana too. I was immersed in joy when a loud ¡®boom¡¯ sound woke me up from meditation. I opened my eyes to see low amount of light coming from my back side illuminating my body on the wall of the cave. It took quite of a few seconds of time for my eyes to adapt to light of the sun. ¡®Turn around¡¯, an unknown voice said in an ordering tone. My head felt dizzy so I waited a bit more for headache to pass. ¡°Turn the fuck around, I said¡±, an impatiant voice echoed. Slowly I stood up and turned around to face the entrance. ¡°Come out¡±, man said again disappearing from my sight before I could identify him. I walked out of the cave. First thing to catch my sight was occurence of ¡®syzygy¡¯. First moon was slightly to the left followed by the second moon. They were covering front of the sun. Actually syzygy was dispersing. ¡°That was why the rays of the sun were dim¡±, I whispered. ¡°Where the fuck are you looking at?¡±, the voice of the man startled me. My neck swayed towards the direction from where sound was coming. There was a man who had a knife on Cyrus Lyth¡¯s throat. He was as tall as Cyrus. Clothes that he wore seemed to be old enough to be torn apart any moment. He seemed to be no older than 40. As his face was behind Cyrus¡¯s head I couldn¡¯t see his face features. Another man was holding a third year student called Raphael. Raphael was around 175-180cms tall. The man holding him was much more bigger than him both in height and size. His hand was big enough to cover Raphael¡¯s neck. In my eyes, he seemed like a giant from the tales. There was a big scare on his left cheek going up to his forehead. Beard covered most of his face. He had long curly hair. ¡°You must be Cyrus Lyth!¡±, the third man talked. P.S: Sorry for the late release, as I was planning to post this chapter few days ago... Sorry Sorry ******/////***** P.P.S: According to the power and right given to me by the creator of the Continent of the Pyrr, I order these persona''s to be appointed admira - Goddess of ''Audit, Inspection & Review'' TehEuge - Lesser God of ''Audit, Inspection & Review'' lucifuge - Initiate cultivator of ''Sex & Eroticism'' FirstDragon - Father of Harem I would like to thank everyone in their support!!! Thank you all P.P.P.S: Harem it is! 39 - Terran ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* 39 ¨C Terran Tiger Somewhere near Molten Peak Mistery Man¡¯s POV A barefoot man, 180cm tall, was standing almost a kilometer away from the place where everything was happening. He was wearing torn black cotton pants. His upper body was covered with a short-sleeve red cotton shirt which seemed to be bought centuries ago. Visible parts of his body were covered in dirt which indicated that he hadn¡¯t cleant himself for a long time. Overall he had short hair but there were two long braids that were falling down to his shoulders from behind each of his ears. His right hand was grabbing hard a long handstick that was as wide as a thumb. However it felt as if he didn¡¯t depend on handstick to help him to stand still. Hot breeze was pushing cotton clothes upon his body making it evident for an observer to see his fit but not over-muscular frame. His chin was wide. Mouth and nose were perfect for wide faced man such as him. Nevertheless it was impossible to tell whether he was an ugly or good looking man. As his eyes were covered with a black scrap of cotton cloth which seemed to be torn from bottom right part of his pants. It was tied into a knot at the back of his head. Left overs of the cloth were moving because of the hot breeze, flying up and down. Moreover there was a small cat with dark vertical straps over white fur which was pushing its head onto man¡¯s right leg. Man was not distracted by the cat. Even though his eyes were covered, his body was facing the direction where everything was happening. ¡®At last¡¯, he uttered. ... ... ¡®Interesting approach¡¯, he said out loud. ... ... Man¡¯s face turned towards his left shoulder where cat was sitting for the last few minutes. It was licking its right paw. ¡®Let¡¯s go Fael¡¯, man whispered and both of them left in the blink of an eye disappearing from sight leaving no trace of their previous existence. *********** Molten Peak Kain¡¯s POV ¡°You must be Cyrus Lyth!¡±, the third man talked. My eyes were focused on his face though I didn¡¯t want to reply to him yet. Lots of things were going on in my mind about the situation that was happening. First and foremost reason why these pricks were not dead yet were the students that were held as hostages. Most probably solely because of these student hostages, teachers haven¡¯t made a move yet. ¡°How come they are being held hostages?¡± , passed my mind but I care less. The most important question was ¡°Who ratted out our location?¡±. ¡°Circumstances¡±, I said out loud and sighed. The third man was puzzled by my answer and he said out loud ¡°What?¡± It was time to check out my newly improved powers and apply theory into practice. My first move was to close the distance between the person who was holding the knife onto Cyrus¡¯s throat. In a matter of a second I had closed the distance and I was by their right side. I assume everyone was in shock and nobody was able to detect my speed and movement. Without losing another second, I grabbed at man¡¯s arm and pulled him towards myself. As a result of my action the knife that was in his hand sliced a bit of skin from Cyrus¡¯s throat. Not even a drop of blood came out. As I didn¡¯t know the limits of my newly improved body the man was thrown onto ground very hard though I was grabbing his arm not to lose my grasp. Next moment, I relieved my finger a bit for my hand to slide up his arm and caught his hand. I broke his arm into two with a very hard kick. Fractured pieces of arm bones were visible after the splash of hot blood. Everyone was shocked to the core because of my cruelty. Teachers and students weren¡¯t used to gore that had happened. Attackers were not expecting anything like this. Not interested in losing the psychological advantage I grabbed from the neck of my victim with my left hand and forcefully pulled him towards myself. He was screaming in agony sitting on his knees. Both me and my victim were facing our attackers. They were still in shock. I pushed my right hand forward and grabbed my victim¡¯s chin. ¡°Chrchh¡±, a voice echoed around. I had flipped his head 180 degrees and broke his neck. Silence... Total silence was governing the surroundings. Nobody made a move. Nobody spoke up. The only sound that emulated belong to hot breeze. I had the advantage. ¡°Do you want to live? Do you want riches?¡±, I asked out loud. ¡°I will break his neck¡±, the big muscular guy shouted out as if woken up from coma. ¡°That is not the answer to my question¡±, I said out loud looking at the other guy. He was shivering. ¡°I want to live¡±, he yelled. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I kill him?¡±, the big muscular guy asked. ¡°You will beg me to kill you the same way as him...¡±, I said out loud pointing towards the guy that I killed minutes ago. ¡°I don¡¯t have a guarantee that you won¡¯t attack us¡±, he spoke up again. ¡°In honour of House of Cohen I give you out my word that I won¡¯t kill you!¡±, I said and looked at Cyrus. ¡°As Cyrus Lyth I guarantee that nobody will touch you¡±, Cyrus said while his right hand was touching his throat. ¡°Bullshit!¡±, the muscular guy shouted. I snapped. ¡°Do you like gambling?¡±, I said out loud and continued without listening to his answer ¡°Now you have two options. Option 1, you leave alone my schoolmate and Cyrus Lyth will bestow gold coins for you and you guys can leave. Option 2, my schoolmate dies so you too. Now, you may think that I¡¯m lying about option number one. But I¡¯m not, and neither Cyrus Lyth. Nevertheless its a gamble from your point of view. It¡¯s up to you to choose.¡± I stopped a bit for them to grasp the meaning of my words. ¡°Make it quick! Your decision¡±, I said after a minute. Muscular guy released the Raphael. I got small bag of gold coins from Cyrus and gave it to our attacker. They were worried so they run away. Teachers wanted to follow after them but I talked them out of it. At the end of the day we all were alright. All of the students were in shock except Cyrus. The girls were even crying. Teachers were doing their best to calm them down. Maera was the first one to come to me to talk. ¡°Good job¡±, was all what she said to me although I could feel the sincere eyes of hers that were gratefully watching me. ¡°As the most beloved student of Maera Vossen that is the least I can do¡±, I replied and smiled. Maera giggled like a teenager girl but stopped as she saw Elena and Malor¡¯s eyes on her. By the night, all of us were sitting around a small fire in one of the caves. Malor was presiding over the talks while Elena and Maera were sitting on his right and left respectively. There were few students who came up with right concerns regarding their life but all of them were dismissed by Malor after his through explanation. ¡°We didn¡¯t come here for flower picking! Of course none of expected to be attacked by three small time bandits but initially all of you were told that we will be hunting for beasts in the mountains after the meditation time. Injuries and death could be expected while the hunt.¡±, he said out loud in a tyrannical manner. Elena was the one who calmed concerned students with her speech. ¡°It does not mean that there will be death! We have prepared thoroughly for the hunt. This matter which occurred today was unexpected. Although we have been through it without any casualties and I think it is an eye opening life experience to all of you. I would like to thank Kain for his quick thinking and decision making BUT I still want to mention that his actions would put Raphael¡¯s life into great danger if bandits didn¡¯t follow the logic but went with emotions!¡±, Elena spoke in a calm manner. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I raised my hand to get permission to speak out my thoughts. ¡°I know senior¡¯s life was under critical danger because of the action taken by me. Nevertheless I would like to point out that if I didn¡¯t do what I did him sitting here with us around the fire safe and sound as he is now would be less probable. I would like to add that this issue with the bandits was one of a kind in sense all of us were separated from each other but in the future as much as I understood from teachers talks we will be hanging out together. So best option is to put all the worries in the past and plan for the future¡±, I said and watched around. Everyone nodded in agreement and after Maera made few lame jokes we all went to sleep. In the morning of the next day we woke up earlier than usual to have breakfast. We walked back to the hillside of the Molten Peak to reach the desert. After an hour of detailed explanation by Malor and Elena we began to hunt for Horned Rexen Draco. Initially I thought this beast is some kind of a dragon as its name had resemblance to it. However we ended up capturing a massive lizard. To my surprise we were going to use it to pass the desert in the least possible amount of time. It was the best beast to travel over the desert in terms of speed and safety. The only natural enemy of the humans that traveled through the desert were Flying Desert Serpents. Flying Desert Serpents had subspecies and mutated differently according to their categories. But overall they were all snake like creatures of the desert. The only predator that they feared were Horned Rexen Draco¡¯s. We mounted it and after two days of travel we reach the unnamed mountains in-between border of House of Byron and The Molten Peak. Speed-wise there was no other native beast to the desert which could be as fast as Horned Rexen Draco. As soon as we reached the border of the great desert and mountains, we released the Horned Rexen Draco and it left to the desert. Surprisingly Horned Rexen Draco¡¯s would die anywhere else but the desert area where they were born. It was afternoon when we reached the other side of the desert. Elena made a cube like strucked which resembled a house and we stayed inside to rest and eat. After sometime we decided to move to mountains to hunt for beasts the next morning. Until nighttime some rested by lying down, while others chatted. I preferred to sit on lotus position and meditate. After the dinner Cyrus politely asked me for private conversation. We chatted for a while but I still think he didn¡¯t ask the questions that were on his mind. The next morning we departed to the mountains. We were all sticking close to each other while we were grouped back to original three teams. The mountain groups that were in front of us were totally different from anything else that I had seen in my life. Most of the were covered by thick forestry. The other that were higher than the rest of the mountains were covered in snow after some altitude. The main rule was that in case we faced something extraordinary and one or more members got lost the only way out was to go to east and get out of the mountain range. That way the original group could detect our presence. After two days of search we couldn¡¯t find proper magical beast. We faced a pack of wolves consisting of 8 members but they avoided us. Afternoon of the third day we saw a white tiger which dark stripes. It was majestically sitting over a rock and according to the teachers was not aware of our existence. There were all kinds of big and small trees which was a natural cover for us to conceal our presence. All of us were sitting in a position according to Malor¡¯s plan and chanting the spells to attack the tiger on the right time. Accepting Elena¡¯s initial assessment the tiger that we were planning to kill was a 2nd rank Terran Tiger. It was assumed to an excellent catch if successfully killed. In an instant all kinds of spells began to activate and attack Terran Tiger. One moment the tiger was licking its paw and the next one it disappeared and re-appeared few meters away from its first location. Now it was not a good sign. In sense most of the students were magicians and were not warriors(normal ones or martial artists) which was a disadvantage to us. Terran Tiger could still be ambushed but every and any attack by teachers and students was successfully and masterfully over-passed by the tiger. I was not worried about myself. But in a setting such as this one somebody was going to get hurt if not dead. The other first year student Zepho Kid who I nickname The Mute was close to me when Terran Tiger changed its direction towards us. In matter of seconds it jumped to kill Zepho and by slip of hair I jumped over and saved Zepho¡¯s life. I think Zepho¡¯s head hit a rock or stone as he lost consciousness. Zepho¡¯s robe that was covering body and head was lifted when for the first time I saw HER face. She was a girl. I turned to face Terran Tiger which was standing still. Curiosity overcame and I turned to watch her beautiful face again. Her head face swaying towards her left shoulder so I couldn¡¯t see the left side of her face but damn she was beautiful. I turned back towards the tiger. As if knowing that I was a sure prey it began to slowly walk towards me. Unfortunately all of the teachers were on the other side of the initial circle that we planned and surrounded the tiger. ¡°That¡¯s the most natural place where it will run¡±, they had told. ¡°Fuck¡±, was the only thing which came to my mind. I stood up but bent a bit and unsheathed my sword. I began to walk to my right and tiger changed its course too. ¡°Thanks to god¡±, I whispered as I thought I could evade it to attack unconscious Zepho. The only way to outsmart the tiger was to make it follow me and lose it using godly speed of mine. At least that was what I had thought. I turned and made a run. Terran Tiger was following me swiftly. It was hard to run as trees and shrubs were acting as natural barrier to a person who is used to city roads. Nevertheless I didn¡¯t stop but peeked back once in a while to check the tiger. Almost half an hour of hard catch and run, I was in front of a cave. Fortunately front part of the cave was lacking trees and greenery so it was possible for me to use my limited sword skills. Both tiger and me were at standstill. The first time I saw the entrance to the cave I couldn¡¯t detect anything extraordinary as the entrance was pitch black. Remembering the Lichen, I thought I could outmaneuver the tiger in the cave or maybe even kill it. I was facing the tiger while my back was directed towards the entrance of the cave. Nevertheless the Terran Tiger seemed not to be afraid of me at all. It eyes were facing mine and I could sense no fear in it. ¡°You want human meat for lunch? Ha Kitty?¡±, I shouted. After 10 minutes of standstill it began to walk towards me in slow steps. One step, two steps, three steps. I was count and moving backwards likewise. Out of nowhere a fire ball was shot at tiger but it evaded as if it was a war veteran. ¡°Kain we will save you¡±, I heard the shouts of the students. Tiger roared and desperate voices of the students disappeared with it. It made a small jump and run towards me. For a moment I lost myself (even though I think I could run away and evade its attack). In that moment, tiger¡¯s head hit me hard and I was thrown into the cave followed by the tiger itself (maybe I didn¡¯t evade because I couldn¡¯t sense killing intent? Argh... I can¡¯t remember why I didn¡¯t). Instead of hitting the ground, both of us began to fall. It was not an ordinary cave but a deep pit. ¡°ARGHH!!!¡±, I screamed out. P.S: Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome! 40 - Destrians Group 40 ¨C Destrian¡¯s Group My body was falling down the pit in a high speed. The distance with surface was increasing at high pace and as a result the light that reflected through the entrance was getting dimmer. Terran Tiger¡¯s body was a meter or even less than that away from me. I was afraid that as the first one to hit the ground, I would end up as a splashed tomato. That¡¯s why I raised my hands towards sky and tiger¡¯s body passed me. In the span of two breaths, I tried to grab from tiger¡¯s fur so that I land on its body and don¡¯t end up as a cripple. Instead of its fur my hand clutched into tiger¡¯s ear. Terran tiger growled in pain which was picked up by my ears even though my ears were numb because of ¡°swooshing¡± sounds that were weeping them. In the next moment or so, large tiger ear disappeared from my hand. Tiger¡¯s body disappeared as the air began to hit my body again because of the friction of the down fall. ¡°SPLASH¡± Momentarily I had collapsed into a pool. I struggled in the water because I didn¡¯t expected to fall into cold water. Bubbles of air were floating towards the top. I swam up and my head was released out of water. I inhaled air in fast breaths. The water pool was still. ¡°It must be an underground lake or pool¡±, I whispered. Looking towards the sky I couldn¡¯t see any light at all. Actually I didn¡¯t know where the shore is. Darkness was dominant. The next moment, ¡°shzhshzh¡± sound echoed around. Few meters away from my current location a man was standing. He had a torch in his hand. I swam towards the man and got out of the pool. His face was visible because of the light emitted from the flame torch. His eyes were covered with black cotton cloth piece. Nevertheless from initial second he was facing me as if he ¡®saw¡¯ me. ¡°Little Kain¡±, he uttered. ¡°Follow the blind man and the cat¡±, I said out loud. ¡°Sshhh, quit.. They may hear you¡±, he said pointing towards the entrance of the cave. A cat appeared on his left shoulder. It licked it¡¯s paw and looked at me ferociously. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Terran Tiger?¡±, I asked the ¡®blind¡¯ man. ¡°It¡¯s a Tiger King!¡±, the man replied. ¡°How should I address you?¡±, I asked the ¡®blind¡¯ man again. ¡°I will be Stark and you will be called Lin¡±, blind Stark replied. ¡°Alright¡±, I nodded in agreement. ¡°Follow me¡±, he said and I began to run in fast pace after Stark. In less than ten minutes we were out of the deep cave on a mountain road. There were around 50 tents in the area where we went to. Stark introduced me to the rest as Lin whose family was traveling from Catalon lands to Astoria for better life. According to Stark¡¯s tale, unfortunately my family¡¯s caravan was ambushed by wild Terran Tiger¡¯s on our way and I was the only one who was left alive. After introductions and with Stark¡¯s recommendation I became part of ¡®Lightening Lily¡¯s Troupe¡¯. The group was performing public and private shows in different regions. It¡¯s main program for public shows was similar to a circus. For private shows there was a special group maiden¡¯s headed by the owner of the troupe Lily. I had not seen Lily when I arrived. She was kind of a mystery woman to me for a while as she never appeared in public. And whenever she did so, she covered most of her body including her face. Members of the troupe knew Stark as a blind man with extraordinary strength. Stark looked after Dark Horses and Raging Red Bulls that were used to pull the carriages. There were only two Dark Horses which were used to pull the Lily¡¯s carriage. The rest of the carriages were being carried by the Raging Red Bulls. Dark Horses were three meter tall strong animals which were similar to horses in appearance but their diet included sheep and goat meat. Raging Red Bulls were domesticated animals that were as fast as horses but much more durable to hot and cold weather. Their diet consisted of green grasses and leaves of different plants and trees. Sometimes Stark fed them fruits. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. To make everything much more clear, the time when we were departing the Monarch Academy with the group to head over to the Molten Peak, Kyle whispered to my ear. He said to me ¡°Follow the blind man and the cat¡±. I was doing so. Stark was doing his best to alienate the rest of the group from being in contact with me. So for the next three months of the travel more or less I didn¡¯t know anyone. To tell the truth I cared less. However what took my interest was Stark¡¯s talks regarding where we were heading. According to him, Stark had been member of the ¡°Lightening Lily¡¯s Troupe¡± for the last 8 months. He has been looking after the safety and health of the animals while troupe camped. Stark had joined the troupe when they were in lands of the House of Forbes. All I knew was we were heading to the lands of the House of Byron. The troupe was going to travel up to 10 cities in the Byron lands. Stark didn¡¯t revealed to me in which city we were going to depart the troupe but he said that we were going there for an assassination. Most of the time I walked with Stark at the back of the caravan. Sometimes mercenaries and bodyguard¡¯s hired by the troupe accompanied us but Stark avoided talking to them most of the time. He kept it to bare minimum. First time when I mentioned ¡®Sir Destrian¡¯s name to Stark, he had an ironic smile on his face. ¡°That old prick is a useless shit who is neither a noble nor a warrior... His group is much useless than himself¡±, was Stark¡¯s reply. The Cohen family was running an underground assassination team. Destrian¡¯s group was a cover that Cohen Family used to display to the powers of the continent. As much as I understood even ¡°Stark¡± was not informed about the number of assassins employed by the Cohen family. Although he knew that there were quite a few people and each one of them was more powerful than Destrian¡¯s group. Actually even in my state as a 4th rank martial artist (warrior) and 5th rank magician, I was more powerful than Destrian¡¯s group. I lacked experience. Anyhow, I didn¡¯t know what the mission was. I didn¡¯t know up to which point I was going to be involved in the plan. I didn¡¯t know what the plan was. Moreover I didn¡¯t give a fuck. After three months of travel with the troupe we reached troupe¡¯s first destination. Neft city was an ordinary one in my eyes as I had seen grand cities of the continent. The houses and buildings had typical cubic designs. Most of the structures were no more than 2 story tall. The only grand building in the Neft city belonged to the governor who ruled the city in the name of the House of Byron. Nevertheless it was not something extraordinary either. People of the lands of the House of Byron had nonintellectual and vulgar/vandal aura surrounding them. Even if they tried to sound and act as friendly as they could there was some-kind of disdain that I felt. Maybe I was wrong. It was my subjective point of view. The troupe moved close an open arena out of Neft city. Tent¡¯s were made to accommodate the performers and the rest of the troupe members. The next night few thousand people had come to enjoy the troupe¡¯s public performance. City guards helped the troupe to seat the people and to keep the peace while the performance.The Neft city¡¯s governor¡¯s family was present as spectators too. It was a great show. Mix of acrobatic dances and artistic juggling by the human and animal performers blended pure ecstasy into hearts of the audience. Choreographed and highly polished fire show had stunned and amazed the audience. Likewise I enjoyed the show too. It lasted for few hours and ended up at late night when both moons were shining bright in the sky. Applause and cheers could be heard a kilometer away from the arena. Even the blind ¡®Stark¡¯ had a wide grin on his face. ¡°Is he really blind?¡±, was the last question that passed my mind before we went to sleep. P.S: Anyone expected this kind of outcome? 41 - Rabbit ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* Foreword: The parts that are in italic are foretold by Stark (the blind one) as a story in third person but its his life and how he was clutched in by Cohen Family 41 ¨C Rabbit The carriages in the front were transporting people, while the wagon¡¯s that were following them were transporting clothing, water, foods and spare parts for carriages and wagons. This wagon was the biggest transportation within the caravan pulled by six Raging Red Bulls. Spare wheels and other equipment were stored in this wagon. There was no rain so the back door of the wagon was wide open for dry air to circulate within the wagon so that spare metal parts don¡¯t get rusty. Its been some time that we had left Neft city. Maybe a week, maybe more than that. I have lost track of time. I was sitting by Stark¡¯s side on the open end of the wagon facing the naked environment that lacked single trace of life. On our left, Sea of the Dead was residing. It was far away from us but eyes could detect its presence on the horizon. On the right side there was nothing but desert. I was mesmerized by the steam that came off the ground each and every time I looked to my right. ¡°Tak¡±, ¡°Tak¡±, ¡°Tak¡±... I was lost in thought. ¡°If I was alone it would be much more easier to leave¡±. ¡°How can I betray her?¡±. ¡°There has to be a way for me to arrange a safe place for them to live...¡±. ¡°There is nothing impossible¡± ¡°Bump¡±. The last sound ¡®awakened¡¯ me from daydreaming. The wagon¡¯s wheel tripped over a small rock which made unconscious me to almost fall over. ¡°It¡¯s impossible as you are now¡±, the ¡®blind¡¯ Stark spoke up as if reading my mind. It didn¡¯t mean that he saw through me, nevertheless I followed with a question ¡°Why you say so?¡±. ¡°Hah¡±, he made a deep sigh. For sometime he stayed as if he was not just blind but mute too. My head was already facing him for the last few minutes waiting for his reply. ¡°It must be because of the loyalty¡±, Stark said. ¡°There are others like us too. Not many maybe even less than number of fingers in both hands... But they exist. Do you know what is the common bond that all of us share?¡±, he ended up with a question. ¡°Exceptional martial artists and magicians?¡±, I replied with another question. ¡°Those are qualities... I¡¯m talking about the bond, its not material'', he told. I didn¡¯t flinch or move. I was facing Stark in silence for him to talk more. ¡°All of us were separated from our families from young age. One way or the other we were kept away from them for long time¡±, he stopped for a while as if to find right words, ¡°The head of the family is smart. All of them were smart. There is experience of hundred of years helping them out too...¡± I was puzzled ¡°I still don¡¯t get the connection... The link I mean... Something is amiss¡±. He took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s all about what¡¯s in here¡±, Stark pushed his finger to his head and continued ¡°A young kid separated from his or her family gets thrown into circumstances where he thinks that as he achieves more his family will have better life.. So he tries hard... He learns.. He practices... He becomes more powerful than his masters.. So the growing kid comes to a decision... Why should I kill? Why should I rape? Why should I live the life what I live? IF.. If I¡¯m more powerful than them... So the kid elaborates more on his decision... I only have one older sister. I could take her away and live a peaceful life. Why should I continue?¡±, he stopped. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing that may happen to me¡±, passed my mind. ¡°So what the kid does?¡±, I asked in an anxious tone. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. Earlier when I mention about loyalty you misunderstood me. I was not talking about the loyalty to THE family, I¡¯m talking about the loyalty to your family¡±, he continued ¡°The kid who is 16 years of age goes back to the family mansion after doing a mission. He asks about his sister. Master tells him that he had planned everything ahead... Everything... In a week kid¡¯s elder sister is getting married to a wealthy family¡¯s only son.. She is going to be a concubine.. But master can not bend rules of centuries to make his sister the official wife... She is a beautiful girl but not of noble descent. Nevertheless master keeps his word... His sister shall not taste the bitterness of life... The kid knows that the master is making his sister part of the scheme... However the kid does not get distracted... It is what he has expected... So the kid leaves the mansion to meet his sister... After three days of travel he reaches his beloved sister... She is going to marry son of a city governor... Second concubine, she will be in few days... This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. At night he sneaks into her room. Both of them hug each other... Its been long time... Tears flow from kids eyes... She talks about how happy she is. She talks about her beautiful life.. The kid says the thing which he wanted to tell for a long time...¡¯let¡¯s leave... let¡¯s go to a place where both of us shall be free to live the life what we want¡¯... But... But... The girl does not want to leave... ¡®This is the best that can happen to me? Why should I go to be peasant again? I have everything that I want¡¯... She argues with him about his loyalty to the family and his love towards her... How can they go against THE family? The kid can not talk anymore... He does not understand her... But wasn¡¯t this what he wanted when he agreed to master¡¯s proposal?... It was... It was for his sister to live a better life... But what about him?... Does not the kid deserve a better life? He does but it was not part of the deal to being with... Sister looks at him and says ¡®there is a condition¡¯... What condition?... Now there are two choices... First he kills his sister and gets his freedom... Second one is for her sister to "kill" him... The kid¡¯s sister burns kids eyes with a hot metal rod... The kid has forsaken everything... If sister does not want to live with him, then there was no point in trying to change her views... He didn¡¯t want her to hate him either... He loved her, in sense she loved him too... But her love of the world was much more bigger in comparison to her love for her younger brother... She was enchanted with this life so much that there was no return for her... Neither for him... At least he could make her dreams come true...¡± Stark sniffed... There were no tears coming from his eyes. He remembered something that he tried hard to forget for long time. The betrayal. He sniffed few more times so the fluids won¡¯t flow out of his nose. ¡°How many people in your family?¡±, he asked. ¡°Three more, at least for now¡±, I smiled. ¡°You will change. They will change too. Unrequited love and loyalty won¡¯t bring any good to you¡±, he said and never spoke to me until we reached Pheim. Late 4031. Pheim City. Capital of the House of the Byron. Caravan entered the Pheim in the early morning. A city official met us which showed the importance put on the ¡®Lightening Lily Troupe¡¯ by the House of Byron. The plan was that Stark would follow the troupe to the south-east towards the Lyth lands while I would depart the troupe after two months. The mission details was secret to me even if we had already arrived at Pheim. Pheim was a magnificent city with nothing alike which we had seen in Byron territory. It had massive walls that were more than 15 meters tall covering it. There was an artificial water channel almost 10 meters wide covering all along the walls. There were three bridges connecting the city to the rest of world. One third of the lands within the city were used only for farming of vegetables and livestock. Pheim was a massive, self-sustaining city. The main resource of the Byron family which made them rulers of this territory was that somehow they had connection with the Nekyia people. I learnt that Nekyia people were the source of the potions that were sold within the Pyrr Continent. Knowledge of the alchemy of that caliber was only known to them and was not shared with anyone else. A hundred years ago, they had selected Byron family to be the merchants to sell their potions. That was why there were lots of caravans traveling to Pheim to buy the potions directly from the source from all over the continent. The only other direct receiver of the potions was Palace of the Kings and Queens. Byron family was the monopolist in the most important business of the continent. We were not leaving the troupe headquarters so I was not able to see the Pheim city in detail. Knowledge of their culture, economy and life-style was interesting although unreachable to observe even though I was living in it. Few days later a girl called Sia came to pick me up. She was one of the dancers in Lily¡¯s close entourage. The boy that was supposed to accompany them to the palace was sick so they were urgently in need of a boy around my age. My torn clothes were thrown away and I was given new pair of clothing. After a long time I was given a chance to take a hot bath. I was cleaned from head to toe and Sia checked me for any possible physical deficiencies. Two days after I joined the main team we moved the equipment for stage to the palace. By the sunset everything was ready to go. Head of the Byron family was accompanied with his close relatives to the show. There were more than 100 attendees, half of them being his direct family members. Head of the House of Byron was a lewd and lusty man to have so many concubines and kids. His white hair and long front teeth made him look similar to a rabbit. ¡°He ain¡¯t a rabbit just in appearance¡±, I mumbled. 42 - Dance ********************* Follow, Rate, Review & Comment! ********************* Sorry for the late release, was busy IRL 42 ¨C Dance I was wearing dark black trousers and wine-red jacket. Appearance wise I was looking like a bartender from an elite bar. Stationed by the right side of the theater scene, I was assigned to pull the rope to open and close the curtains of the scene. Slowly I began to pull the ropes so that the distance enough for a person to pass to be visible. Sia emerged from behind the curtains. On top she was wearing a gold colored bra covering her almost non-existent breasts. There was a wide black belt on her waist which were sewn on to the harem pants. Both bra and pants were decorated with beads and embroidery. Her dark black hair and white visible skin was sending off an intense sexual aura. Males present within the audience were looking at her with unbearable lust in their eyes. My eyes seized few of them with slightly open mouthes while saliva drooling off their lips. One of the male members within the audience was pinched by his wife which got the attention of the rest of the audience including Sia. Sia smiled and slowly bent her body towards the audience. As she moved upper part of her body towards the ground, I began to pull the curtains to fully open the scene. Sounds of goblet drum and some kind of stringed musical instrument began to echo in the theater. Everyone¡¯s attention was on Sia. She slowly raised her body in accordance with the rhythm of the music. As I pulled the rope new female dancers emerged from behind the curtains. My eyes were focused on all of them. They were wearing same clothes as Sia but because of their age and body, they gave off a different kind of erotic aura. Dance that they were performing was not something extraordinary. Although I doubt you could get to see something like this anywhere else. In about fifteen minutes, all of the performers were standing around a circle. All of them kneeled down and put their arms on the ground as if they were petals around the rose. All of a sudden music stopped. Audience clapped. Nevertheless no-one stood up to leave. Neither the performing girls were moving. It was as if the dancers were immovable statues. ¡°Boom!¡± sound echoed as blue colored lightening hit into the space that was in the center of the statue like kneeling performers. ¡°Ha¡±, females and few kids were startled. Smoke arouse from the location that was hit by the lightening. Smoke disappeared and a beautiful girl who was no more than 20 appeared in the place hit by the lightening. She had the same outfit as other girls but it was colored in blood red. Beads and embroidery on her bra and belt were golden. Because of the distance I couldn¡¯t see her eye colors but she had long and beautiful looking silver hair. With her appearance, everyone¡¯s including my attention was stolen by her. Her breasts were not big but neither small, perfect for her body. Slim body of hers would make everyone and anyone a slave to her. Her mouth and nose was covered with a fabric which added to her mysterious background and aura. ¡°She must be Lily¡±, I mumbled. Music began to echo within the theatre. Everyone had forgotten about the other performing girls. None of them were moving either. They were still sitting around the Lily as if they were statues. Her hand began to circle for few seconds. Later on her arms began to move upwards towards the sky as if two snakes were encircling each other. It was a delight for eyes and hearts of the audience to watch her. I was attracted by her dance too. Nevertheless her dance ending in less than ten minutes. She disappeared same way as she initially appeared. Even the ¡°rabbit¡± was influenced by her dance. Everyone applauded and clapped. I slowly pulled the ropes in reverse for curtains to cover the front of the scene. ¡°God knows how much they have paid for these 25 minute performance¡±, I thought. The ¡°rabbit¡± stood up and his close family followed him out. Later on other guests began to go off. I helped crew to disassemble the scene and we packed the parts into wagons. We left the palace to our camp. I was walking by the last wagon out of habit. I was still entranced by the performance so I didn¡¯t know when and how we ended up back in camp. Even though I was young but my mind was of an adult. That was why image of the dancers had not left my mind. Everyone went back to their wagon and tents as soon as we arrived into the camp. I went back to sleep but saw Stark waiting for me near the wagon with spare parts. There were few hours left until the sunrise when we left the camp in secret into the city. Structure of Pheim was much more simple in comparison to capital Astoria. The streets were wide and houses simple. Poor neighborhoods were totally dark only lit by the light of the moons. However rich neighborhoods were lit by torches and streets were cleaner in comparison to the poor ones. We were fast and swiftly avoiding group of guards few times during the travel. We stopped in front of the house that had walls around it which were 5-6 meters tall. ¡°Jump or climb, but be fast... follow me¡±, Stark said and jumped over the stone fence. Because of the internal cultivation my physical reflexes and limits of mortal body had improved many folds. In one swift jump I ended up at the top of the wall. I saw Stark ¡°looking¡± at me. In second jump, I was standing by him. We passed by the fruit trees before entering the mansion. There were guards around the mansion but their presence was no problem to us. Arriving at the back of the mansion we climbed to third floor where the only balcony existed. Stark opened the door of the balcony and we entered the mansion. Our steps made no sound or whatsoever. We went downstairs and as we were going to get into first floor sounds of males talking echoed. ¡°After that performance it was the only way to deprive my lust¡±, one man said. ¡°It was my honor to be of help to you. Let me accompany you to the palace¡±, another replied. ¡°No need, I had my share... You should continue¡±, first man said and sounds of doors opening echoed. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Doors closed and first man¡¯s voice echoed again ¡°Good, good! Now let me enjoy myself... Orm, call that useless son of mine.¡±, ¡°yes, my lord¡± another male answered. ¡°They are up to no good¡±, passed my mind and instinctively I wanted to move but Stark raised his hand to stop me. ¡°Father!¡±, a young boys voice came up. ¡°Follow me¡±, man said in a ordering tone. We heard footsteps which indicated their departure into the inner parts of the first floor. Stark began to move and I shadowed him. The first floor was lighted much more better than upper parts of the mansion. Stark stopped near a wall and turned to me and whispered ¡°As soon as we turn left from here, there is the butler. Can you kill him without making noise for others to disturb us?¡±. I hesitated firstly but nodded in confirmation. I took out a knife that was hanging on my belt. I looked at Stark for a moment. ¡°Sense¡±, he whispered. I closed my eyes and for a moment the air currents surrounding me vibrated making possible for me to visualize the space to our left. I turned left from the wall and threw the knife. As butler was not expecting anything like this, he just gasped and blood flowed down from his throat. I moved the distance of more than 10 meters to catch his body before it collapsed in an instant. I turned back to call Stark, but to my surprise he was already behind me. Strange noises were coming from the room so even if I hadn¡¯t caught the butler no-one would have noticed his collapse. ¡°Let¡¯s get in¡±, Stark whispered. He opened the door and moved in so fast that it seemed as if he disappeared from my sight and reappeared a bit far away. I brought in the dead body of the late butler. Screams and noises were still echoing within the room but there was no-one at sight. ¡°Hmph¡±, Stark made a voice and began to stroll within the room with slow steps. He walked a bit and stood behind a sofa. ¡°Come here¡±, he called me in low voice. I walked to him and Stark used his right arm to show the place and said ¡°Try to open¡±. From first look there was nothing extraordinary on the ground. But looking carefully there were lines that ¡°cut¡± a space of 1 meter square of the wooden ground from the rest of floor. There were no hatches so I put both of my hands and pressed the corner of the hidden door. Surprisingly the part of the hidden door that I was pushing went down and stairs showed up. We went down into a big room. What I saw disgusted me and I felt chill which went into my bones. I wanted to threw up because of the sight in front of my eyes. Father and son were focused on their acts so much that they didn¡¯t notice our existence. We were in an underground room of more than 200 square meters. There entrance to the room was not lighted much. There was no exquisite furniture or anything like this. There were no hidden treasures or valuables. Opposite to entrance on the left there was a metal cage. In it, three young naked kids were sitting as if they were zombies. They seemed to be unconscious. Maybe drugged. Few meters away from the cage there was a table. The ¡°father¡± figure was raping a young kid. He was mumbling out loud stuff such as ¡°You moaned more when Lord was **** you¡±, ¡°Scream, scream!¡± and so on. He was in ecstasy. On the opposite corner of the cafe there was a young female whose hands and legs were chained to the wall. She was nude. The only cloth that she had on her was the fabric that was stuffed into her mouth. She seemed to scream in pain but her voice didn¡¯t come out. The kid, presumably, the son of the mansion¡¯s owner who seemed no more older than me was cutting pieces and scratching the girl¡¯s body. In my old life I had seen many things. I had done many disgusting things myself. I had cut a person to pieces and fed to pigs. But I had never enjoyed that. I had done because I had to punish and set example for those who wanted to screw with my or my crew. I never had done for pleasure. I look at Stark. His face turned towards me and he nodded as if ¡°seeing¡± and understanding what I felt. The distance between me and the kid that was torturing the girl would be around 14-15 minutes. Because of the anger I moved that distance in a time that takes to blink the eye. As soon as closing the distance I used my left hand to grab kid¡¯s right hand and pull him up. Kid¡¯s height was no more than mine. He had a creepy smile on his face. Madness, frenzy, fury and craziness were reflected in his eyes. I waited for a second or two for him to grasp the situation and realize that I have grabbed and pulled him up. Just before he tried to shout out, I struck with my right hand as hard as I could. I felt the warm blood flowing down my hand. I was staring at kids eyes. For a moment, I heard nothing, felt nothing. The ¡°light¡± in his eyes disappeared and the kid was dead. I pulled back my hand and saw kid¡¯s small heart in my hand. The blood was spurting wildly from his body. I released kid¡¯s right arm and his lifeless body fell down. ¡°Pat¡±, sound came up as the kid¡¯s dead body clashed with ground. The father was startled. He face turned towards me and he released the kid that he was raping. He was in shock. Madness filled my mind as I saw a young male kid lying almost lifeless on top of the table. The victim¡¯s throat was covered with man¡¯s finger prints. ¡°Count¡±, I heard Stark speaking. Both me and the count turned to face Stark. ¡°Stark, you fucking blind fucking messenger... Fuck off with your cohens... I will kill you f...¡±, count wanted to continue but was killed by Stark without hesitation. His head was rolling down on ground while his body was still staying on his legs. Afterwards Stark said ¡°Kill them¡±. He wanted no survivors. Stark had a hidden sword inside the hand-stick that he was using. It was a thin but well made high quality sword. ¡°He used to cut that man¡¯s head like a knife passing through the butter¡±, passed my mind. The young boy who was raped tried to raise his head but tip of Stark¡¯s sword entered from his eye and went out from back of his head. ¡°Kill the girl¡±, Stark said out loud. I was still looking at him with no intention to move. It felt as if I delay a bit more, I will be his next victim. I turned back and grabbed girl¡¯s head with both my hands. With a swift move, her neck was broken and she passed away.